Mou Ichi Do
by tangerine-asuka
Summary: Complete Yuki and Shuichi had parted a year ago. Shuichi quit Bad Luck and stopped singing completely, leaving the country back then. After a year of living separate lives, Shuichi comes back as a famous model. What happens when they meet again?
1. Return

This is my third gravitation fanfic... and it's an attempt to write a long, dramatic, angsty one. Hopefully, i'll be able to do it. Argh... writing ridiculous, humorous ones are so much easier. hmm...

AndI keep changing the names and hair colours of the new characters... hopefullyI didn't mess it all up. haha...

oh, "mou ichi do" means "one more time"

**Summary: Yuki and Shuichi had parted a year ago. Shuichi had quitted Bad Luck and stopped being a singer completely, leaving for America back then. After a year of living separate lives, what will happen when they meet each other again, each with a new partner by his side? Has everything really changed? Meanwhile, trouble begins to brew with the appearance of a new romance novelist.**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation belongs to Maki Murakami.

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**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 1 --- Return**

"Within the first few days of its release, a million copies of 'Black Angel' had already been sold! What do you think of that, Yuki-sensei?" The petite reporter turned to face the blond novelist sitting next to her, and smiled sweetly.

"I'd like to thank all my readers, and I sincerely hope they enjoyed the novel." Yuki Eiri replied casually into the camera, never once turning to the reporter. He was actually trying his best not to look bored.

"I see… I'm sure they would love it very much!" The reporter never gave up trying to turn her charm on Yuki. "And, Yuki-sensei, do you have any comments on 'Forever Love', the new novel that hit the market recently too, written by Tanaka Miyabi, a newcomer in your trade?"

"Everyone has their own styles. She writes her novels, and I write mine. But the idea of forever love is laughable. It's crap. Nothing lasts forever in this world. That's all."

It was clear that that was all Yuki had to say, ad this implied that the reporter had to change the subject once again.

"So… erm…"

Yuki cast the panicking reporter a sideway glance and smirked silently. _Stupid woman. You've got to more professional than this. Flirting and not being able to come up with anymore good questions? Downright idiotic._

"Ah, right! Yuki-sensei, have you been keeping in touch with Shindou Shuichi? We haven't heard much about him since a year ago, and only recently was there a report that claimed that he's on his way to success in America, though not as a singer. With your relationship with Shindou…"

Yuki had frozen at the mention of 'Shindou Shuichi'. It took him a moment to recover himself before anyone noticed his change in demeanor. He cut the reporter off before she could complete her statement.

"That was a year ago. It's in the past. You should think of more intelligent questions to ask… though I seriously doubt you have the brains for that." He started to get up from his seat and walked towards the exit, putting on his coat at the same time. "I guess that's it for the interview." He spat in a venomous tone, never looking back once.

He pulled his black Mercedes Benz out of the carpark smoothly, and starting speeding off.

_Damn reporter… _He snarled in his thoughts as flashes of memory attacked his mind once again.

_**Flashback:**_

"Yuki…" A small, weak voice called out, barely a whisper.

"What!"

Silence prevailed for a few moments, and only the tapping sounds of the keyboard could be heard as the writer continued to be buried in his work, before he heard the door of the room clicked close.

He sighed and stopped typing, leaning back in his chair.

_God. I had hurt him again. After the continuous fights that we've been having for the past few days. Countless, endless fights which had always sent him running off in tears. I'm always hurting him. That's all I do. That's all I know how to do. What in the world does he want from me? Love? Love is impossible for me. From me. Love doesn't exist in my world…_

He could feel a migraine creeping into his head now. Sighing again, he got up from his chair and started for the living room, determination and slight pain in his eyes.

As he cracked the door open, he could see his pink hair lover lying still on the couch in a fetal position. He strolled over and stood by the couch as he watched the brat looked up at him.

_He looks so… so… broken._

Yuki clenched his fists as he felt a stab of pain and guilt.

Shuichi sat up slowly and stared out towards the balcony.

A moment of silence passed again.

"Let's end this." Yuki croaked, before he realized that it wasn't his voice alone that had just said that. He stared back in shock at Shuichi's opened mouth, where the exact same words had came out from.

The silence that prevailed again lasted for eternity this time.

Shuichi's tremendously pained eyes filled with tears and he was trembling as he gazed into Yuki's golden orbs. He looked as if he was going to break down and crumble into a million pieces the next moment.

However, surprisingly, the vocalist managed to muster enough strength to force his gaze away, back to the balcony, to the black night sky. He gave a small sad smile. "It's funny how we think alike for once. At the very end of everything… I guess the reason for it is also similar?"

Yuki's felt a sharp pain in his chest. His head was throbbing badly too. Afraid that he might collapse anytime soon, he sat down on the couch next to Shuichi.

"It's for our own good." Yuki's words pierced through the silence and hung excruciatingly in the air.

Yuki watched sadly as Shuichi nodded his head slowly, still facing the balcony.

They sat in silence again before Shuichi turned back and whispered hesitantly: "Can I… can I sleep with you for one last time?" His voice broke on 'last' and his beautiful violet eyes were pained and pleading.

And they slept together for the last time that night, with tears streaming down Shuichi's face endlessly, as they made love.

What Shuichi did not notice was that his tears were mixed with Yuki's tears too that night.

The next morning, Yuki woke up without Shuichi by his side.

To be exact, Shuichi would never be by his side again.

_**End of flashback**_

Yuki stepped down harder on the accelerator as he made his way through the highway, hoping to drive away all those memories.

It has been a year since that night, but it felt like it was only yesterday that he had Shuichi calling out for him, Shuichi in his arms, Shuichi on his bed, Shuichi… Shuichi… Shuichi…

_Damn! What am I doing! We both agreed on parting! And I've always wanted to get rid of him. So I shouldn't be thinking of him ever again!_

But, deep in his heart, he knew it was the fact that they had parted amicably that drove him nuts. If they had parted after a fight, it would have felt more real. Parting after making love the night before madeit felt like a dream. But it was a dream with an air of finality. It was the absolute end. Nothing more could be said or done. No apologizing, no forgiving, no making up. It was an agreement.

The only thing he heard about Shuichi after that was that the singer had quit Bad Luck and left the country for a holiday. This sudden turn of events had shook the whole of Japan as reporters began showing up at Yuki's door bombarding him with questions repeatedly. He had admitted to the breakup, but that alone did not satisfy the reporters and millions of fans. All of them wanted to know the reasons. But Yuki ignored them completely. It had taken months before they gave up and everything subsided.

Yuki pulled to a stop in front of a restaurant. Getting out of his car, he checked the time.

_It's still early…_

He stepped into the restaurant and ordered a beer while waiting. Mika had forced him out to dine with her and her husband.

_Great… there's still an hour to go… I'll just die of boredom…_

He sipped his beer and he caught a woman at the corner watching him. He smirked.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Whoa! It's Tokyo! We've made it finally!" A girl with silky, long blonde hair and sparkling emerald eyes exclaimed excitedly as she stretched her hands up. She was dressed in a green halter top, a black leather mini skirt, with a long purple coat pulled over her. She turned to the man next to her. "It's beautiful, right?"

"Sure is! Come to think of it, we haven't been to Japan for 5 years now…" The tall, handsome man, whose hair was a nice mixture of dark and light brown, replied with a grin.

Then, both of them turned back and smiled at the boy behind them.

"You've been away from Japan for one year… how do you feel now that you've returned?" The tall man winked at the boy.

The boy smiled as the wind brushed through his beautiful light brown hair. Dressed in long pants, a white long-sleeve shirt that was unbuttoned towards the top and with a long black coat over his small form, he grinned back with his gleaming violet eyes. He gave a thumb-up before shouting: "Just great! I'm back here again!"

The girl laughed and hooked her arm around the boy's. "Let's go then! Here we come, Tokyo!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mika glared at her brother but he just gazed lazily back.

"Eiri! Are you listening to me!" She spat accusingly.

"What do you mean?" Eiri yawned. "And you've just drove my companion for the night away…"

"I'm telling you to stop playing around with those women!"

"Then what else am I supposed to do? How am I going to satisfy my needs? Oh yeah… men…"

"You-!"

Yuki picked up his glass of wine and sipped the cool, red liquid. He ignored his sister and his brother-in-law, and proceeded to stare out the window.

It was a bad move though. He choked on his wine the next minute.

"Eiri-san… are you okay?" Touma asked in concern.

But Yuki did not wait to hear his question, nor answer it. He had dashed out of the restaurant, scanning the streets hoping to catch another glimpse of what he had seen earlier. Or what he thought he had seen… a man, and a girl snuggling real close to a boy while they walked on. He had only caught a tiny glimpse of the boy, but something had struck in him. The way he walked, the way he smiled, those seemingly violet orbs. He was not really sure of what he saw as it was already night, but a gut feeling in him told him that...

That boy… and… Shuichi…

They seem to click.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Yuki slipped his key into the keyhole and twisted it to the right. It was dark inside. Slipping off his shoes and coat, he headed for the kitchen immediately, grabbing a can of beer from the refrigerator.

The house remained the same as it was in the past, except that it was emptier now, with Shuichi gone. Yuki had moved out when Shuichi had left last year, due to the persistent reporters who never gave up bugging him for an interview. However, he had moved back 6 months later. He did not understand the exact reason for it, but it was as if something was pulling him back here.

As he entered the living room again, a soft voice called out to him.

"Konbanwa, Eiri-san. You're home at last." The voice was gentle, but downright sexy too.

Yuki focused his eyes on the figure sitting comfortably on the couch.

"Oh, you're here tonight…" Yuki drawled as he moved closer to the figure. It was dark, but the moonlight cast a soft glow on the figure revealing the identity of the person.

It was a young man (looking in his early twenties), tall and slender, with fine features and raven black hair. Wearing long pants and a casual light blue shirt with the top unbuttoned, he smiled lazily at Yuki and placed the book he had just been reading on the table.

He raised his eyebrow and spoke again. "I see that you're alone…"

"The woman whom I wanted to bring home initially was chased away…" Yuki plopped down beside the man.

"By your sister again?" The man laughed deeply. "So that means you're free tonight…"

"And I suppose you want to keep me busy?" Yuki smirked.

"Of course…" The man proceeded to kiss Yuki on the corner of his lips, trailing down to the neck.

"Hnn…" Yuki turned and held the man's chin forcefully and crushed his lips down. He then pushed the man back down, so that they were now lying on the couch with Yuki on the top. They proceeded to unbutton each other's clothes, kissing hungrily at the same time.

Gazing down at the man as their skin met and their warm bodies pressed against each other, all Yuki saw was the man's eyes.

Those blazing but soft, beautiful, large violet orbs.

_Shuichi…_

**xXx TBC xXx**

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**Introduction finished!**

**Surprised that I put Yuki with a guy? Haha… yeah, I'M CRAZY. But it doesn't mean that he doesn't go for women anymore… in my fic, he doesn't really care. He has a reason for getting another guy though... you should be able to figure it out nya? hee...**

**But what will happen when Yuki and Shuichi meet again? Things have changed, for sure…**


	2. First Contact

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

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**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 2 --- First Contact**

Ring… ring… ring…

Grumbling and turning over, Yuki tried ignoring the ringing phone determined to disturb his sleep.

After numerous ringings, the machine finally switched to recording a message from the 'bloody irritating caller'.

Beep.

"Eiri-san… Are you really still asleep? If you are… that's… that's good. Can we meet up later this afternoon at NG? Sorry to disturb you…"

Yuki frowned. _That was weird… he said it was good that I wasstill sleeping? And he wants to meet me? Whatever for?_

"Morning! I made breakfast for us. Wanna eat?" The man, fully clothed, smiled at Yuki as he set out 2 plates of American-styled breakfast on the table.

"You know that I hardly take breakfast, Atsushi." Grunting, Yuki drew out a cigarette and lighted it instead, taking a long drag. He threw the rest of the pack onto the table and his hand accidentally brushed the remote control. Feeling bored, he picked the control up and pressed the button to switch on the TV.

"And now, we bring you the latest entertainment news! First, Tomosaka Rin has just confirmed that she is engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Takashi Eichi, a professional dancer…"

"Hmm… not even a bite?" Atsushi rested his cheek on his hand, frowning slightly.

"Whatever." Yuki gave in and started poking at the eggs and sausages. He lifted his fork.

"And lastly, happy news for the day! As everyone should know by now, Sakurai Akiha, the renowned photographer who had won the most talented photographer award of the year for 3 times in a row, is going to be in town to hold a personal exhibition where his best photos will be exhibited for everyone to admire. But what's most shocking and interesting is that Sakurai-san has revealed that this exhibition will mainly showcase photos of his current beautiful model, who is none other than Shindou Shuichi, the previous lead singer of Bad Luck!"

Yuki's fork clattered noisily onto the plate as he dropped it. Eyes wide, he stared at the pictures of Sakurai Akiha and Shindou Shuichi which were being flashed on the TV.

"Eiri-san, is anything wrong?"

"Apparently, Shindou-san had met Sakurai Akiha in America and both of them had decided to work together. In fact, Sakurai-san's winning photo of the year is one of Shindou-san. Now, the good news for all Bad Luck fans… Shindou-san will also be flying back to Japan for the launch of the exhibition!"

"Eiri-san?"

_So, had Touma known about this already? Is that his reason for calling?_

Without saying further ado, Yuki hurriedly proceeded to shower before driving to NG Productions.

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

"Nakano-san, did you know that Shindou-san is in the modeling industry now? Or that he's coming back?" Suguru asked curiously, as K, Sakano, Noriko and Ryuichi looked in anticipation too.

They were in NG studios, working on a new song for Bad Grasper, a band consisting of Ryuichi, Hiro, and Suguru. It was formed after Shuichi left. Ryuichi was the lead singer, Hiro the guitarist, Suguru the keyboardist, K the manager, Sakano the producer, and Noriko the image consultant.

"Nope. Not at all." Hiro shrugged. "He didn't mention it in any of his calls…"

"I can't believe it. Shuichi as a model? It's kind of hilarious…" Noriko shook her head in denial.

"But Shuichi's nice and cute and pretty na no da!" Ryuichi argued innocently, raising Kumagorou in the air. "Even Kumagorou thinks so na no da!"

"But he didn't even tell me anything. What kind of friend is that? I'll make sure he apologizes for it when he returns to Japan… or maybe I'll kill him first…" Hiro frowned determinedly.

"I'm really, really sorry, Hiro. Gomen nasai!"

Everyone froze at that voice.

_It can't be…_

"SHUICHI!"

Everyone found themselves staring at the brown hair boy who was leaning against the door, with an apologetic look on his face. He was Shuichi alright. Same voice, same idiotic grin, same glowing purple eyes, but only with a different hair color, a little taller, more classy clothes and a 'cooler' image.

He flashed his genki smile at the shocked faces in the room.

"Shuichi!" Ryuichi shrieked and glomped the younger boy. "Kumagorou and I missed you so much!"

"Sakuma-san! I missed everyone too…" Shuichi laughed as he got up. "But Hiro, please don't kill me. I apologize for keeping it from you… it's just that I didn't want to say anything before I was confident of making it…"

"Yeah, right…" Hiro crossed his arms and pretended to look mad.

"Hiiiiiiiiroooooooo! I'msosorryI'msosorryI'msosorryI'msosorry!" Shuichi was on the verge of tears by now. He looked at Hiro with big, pitiful, blurry eyes.

"Ok, ok! Apology accepted!" Hiro went forward and pulled Shuichi into a hug. "I missed you…Glad that you're back…"

"Me too… but I'll only be here for 2 to 3 weeks though… until the exhibition is over…" Shuichi sniffled and explained as he hugged the K, Suguru, Sakano and Noriko in turns.

"I thought that you'll only arrive 3 days later… the news reported that Sakurai Akiha's only coming on the 18th… why…" Suguru asked in puzzlement.

"Oh, that's true. Akiha's coming later. I came back first with Haruko-chan and Tsuyoshi." Shuichi waved his hand casually.

"Who's Haruko and Tsuyoshi?" Sakano voiced out the question in everyone's minds.

"Oh… Tsuyoshi is like my manager, but he's actually Akiha's business partner, friend, and helper. Haruko is…"

"Shuichi!" All heads turned to see an extremely pretty, cheerful blonde girl walk in gracefully. She was dressed very stylishly, with a long-sleeved black low-cut V-shaped blouse and jeans that hung at the hips. To top it off, she had on a long brown leather coat and a black scarf. Her hair was tied up in a long ponytail. In other words, she looked fabulous.

"Haruko! You've finished talking to Seguchi-san?" Shuichi asked disbelievingly.

"Apparently yes. Seguchi said that he was extremely busy and suggested meeting up again another day. And… he practically commanded us to leave NG immediately. Strange…" Tsuyoshi, dressed in a suit but with his tie loose, appeared behind Haruko and answered for her. His shoulder length hair was a blend of dark and light brown, and his deep grey eyes scanned the room before resting on Shuichi. He smiled. "These must be your friends, Shuichi…"

"Introduction please, Shu!" Haruko tugged at Shuichi's sleeve happily.

"Okay… this is Hiro, Suguru, K, Sakano, Noriko and Sakuma-san!"

Ryuichi interrupted by holding his stuff bunny out to Haruko, smiling widely and singing: "And this is Kumagorou na no da!"

"Hiro and Suguru were my previous bandmates, Hiro is my best friend too… K, my previous manager… be careful when you're around him. He has tons of guns hidden on him! And, Sakuma Ryuichi is my idol! My god!" Shuichi chirped to Haruko, and then turned to his friends. "This is Miyamoto Tsuyoshi-san, my manager… and his sister, Haruko…"

"Hi!" The two groups exchanged greetings.

"Haruko-san, how do you guys know Seguchi-san?" Hiro asked.

"Oh! Well, you see, my father owns a music and showbiz business in America, with business dealings with XMR and NG Productions… we're here to pay Seguchi-san a visit, while Shuichi wanted to visit you guys!" Haruko then frowned. "Weird thing was that Seguchi-san was so shocked to see us that I thought he would have died of a heart attack or something. And oniichan's right… he practically asked us to leave the building immediately…"

"It's probably because of me…" Shuichi murmured quietly.

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Haruko asked, confused, as the rest of them looked at Shuichi knowingly.

"Nothing much! It's just a hunch…" Shuichi took a step backwards, but his feet got caught in the wires, causing him to fall on his butt. "OUCH!"

"Shu-kun! Are you ok?" Haruko helped him up gently, laughing at the same time.

"You should be glad Akiha's not here…" Tsuyoshi chuckled in amusement.

"Please don't remind me! That stupid guy…" Shuichi groaned and turned green at the thought.

The gang looked puzzled.

"Haruko, let's go get the car first, while Shuichi spends more time with his friends…" Tsuyoshi turned to leave, with Haruko trailing behind after saying goodbye.

"So, Shuichi… have you been keeping something else from us?" Hiro smirked.

"Huh?" Shuichi blinked blankly.

"For example, Haruko…" Noriko teased.

Shuichi blushed furiously. "Uhm…"

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Shuichi nodded stiffly, avoiding everybody's eyes.

"Whoa! Shuichi! You're good! First you come back as a top model, and now you've got a pretty and sexy girlfriend too! Hahahahaha!" K laughed maniacally. "So I'm guessing that you're over-"

Shuichi's mobile phone rang, cutting off K's speech.

"Hello?"

"Shuichi! I totally forgot that we're supposed to meet the owner of the showroom where the exhibition is to be held! Come down now! We must hurry!"

"Right away!" Shuichi hung up and scrambled wildly for the door. "Sorry, guys! Let's meet for dinner soon. I've got something on!"

"Oi, Shuichi! Bad Grasper's holding a mini-concert at Rave Box tonight at ten! Are you coming?" Hiro yelled to the panicking boy.

Shuichi crashed out of the door at lightning speed, screaming "SURRRRE!" as he left a trail of smoke and dust behind.

"…"

"He hasn't changed much in terms of character…" Hiro sighed.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"But what will happen if Shuichi meets **_that guy_**?"

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

_Shuichi's back… he's back…_

_I've got to find out more from Touma…_

_But why? What for?_

_I don't understand what I'm doing…_

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

_But he came back as a famous model?_

_Yes, he was beautiful enough… but it's still kind of hard to imagine that a genki, noisy, silly brat like him could stay still in front of a camera._

_Argh… what am I doing? Why do I-_

CRASH!

"Are you blind! Don't you look where you're going! You brainless idiot!" Yuki attacked the boy (who had come running into him at top speed, thus knocking him down) viciously with words, as he struggled to get up.

"I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! Sorrrrrrrrry!" The boy cried anxiously as he leapt to his feet.

"Sorry doesn't help, you-"

They faced each other at last. Their eyes met and widened in shock.

Silence hung in the air as they stared at each other, unable to move.

"Shuichi…"

"Yu…"

Shuichi's mobile phone rang again.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry, I'm in a rush! Gotta run! See you another time!" And with that, recovering from his shock, the pink-turned-brown hair singer-turned-model gave a small smile and brushed past his stunned ex-lover, without any other greeting, nor did he wait for an answer.

Yuki turned to watch his ex-lover run off, away from him. He felt as if he had been slapped in the face.

"Shuichi…"

_His hair color is different, but overall, he still looked the same… just as genki and pretty with his violet eyes and small build. His voice, his scent, his smile, his lips… _

_Oh shit. What the hell am I thinking of! This shouldn't be happening…what am I doing!_

He proceeded on his way to Touma's office, fearing a little at the messy mix of feelings inside him.

On the other side, Shuichi keep very quiet as Haruko chattered away excitedly about meeting his friends.

His heart was still pounding fast. He was still in shock. He was happy. He was scared. He was confused.

He was…

He was…

He was…

_I didn't expect to meet him so soon… And I didn't even have time to say anything... When Akiha told me that I had to return to Japan for a few weeks, I knew that I would most probably see him again. That was my greatest fear and worry. I planned on avoiding any chances of meeting him as best as I can… but…_

_Yuki…_

_A tiny part of me wanted to see you again… at least to see that you're happy and fine… without me._

_Yuki…_

**xx tbc xx**

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Haha… it was only a short, short surprise meeting. But they did have bodily contact! Hee… 

Anyway, I know it's lame… but **Bad Grasper** is a combination of **Bad** Luck and Nittle **Grasper**. Touma's too busy as Shachou to be playing the keyboard. Noriko is now the image consultant.

Lastly, I just wanna say… I will not making Touma the bad guy who wishes to break up Yuki and Shu in this fic. I'm taking Mika's argument in the manga that Touma cares for Yuki like a father protecting his child. :p

And, Thanks to everyone who reviewed!


	3. Midnight Coffee

**Thanks, everyone, for your reviews! **Shuichi really has a girlfriend. I know it's hard to imagine him with a girl, but if I put him with a guy again, he'll appear to be really a gay when in fact, he claimed to be bisexual. But don't worry, there's more… Shuichi's POV in one of the upcoming chapters (most probably chapter 6) will reveal more about the nature of his relationship with Haruko and Akiha separately (wink).

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

MOU ICHI DO **

**Chapter 3 --- Midnight Coffee**

Yuki sat and watched as Touma cleared his desk. He then turned to frown suspiciously at the man with dark blue hair next to him.

"What the heck are you doing here, Tatsuha?"

"Aww… aniki. Don't look at me like that… I came to visit my dear brother-in-law…" Tatsuha grinned back in response.

"Yeah, right. Hoping to catch a glimpse of your stupid idol at the same time?" Yuki smirked and mocked.

"Don't call him stupid!" Tatsuha began defending Ryuichi courageously and crazily, as if his own life was on the line.

"Eiri-san, I'm glad that you could make it…" Touma finally settled down, giving Tatsuha the cue to knock it off. "No trouble, I hope?"

Yuki stared into Touma's icy blue eyes. _Did Touma know that Shuichi was here?_

Touma smiled, hiding his eyes. "I tried calling you to change our meeting place so that we could maybe go out for lunch-"

"So that I wouldn't meet him?"

Touma's eyes widened in shock, while Tatsuha looked puzzled as to what was going on.

"You've met him!"

"Yes. He came running into me, knocking me down, stuttering sorry, and then taking off just as quickly again." Yuki pulled out his lighter to light a cigarette. "Care to explain?"

"What a coincidence... But I had no idea that he would be here with his friends. Actually, his manager is the heir to Miyamoto Works, the second largest showbiz company in America after XMR. The owner of Miyamoto Works, Miyamoto Hideichi, is one of my acquaintances. That's why they came to pay me a visit. I did not meet Shindou-san as he went looking for Nakano-san, Ryuichi-san and the rest."

"WHAT! You mean that Shuichi was here earlier!" Tatsuha jumped out of his seat, and turned to Yuki. "And you've met him!"

"Shut up! You're so noisy." Yuki snapped.

"Did anything happen just now? Were you two alone?" Touma inquired worriedly.

"We were alone, but nothing happened. We barely talked as he was in a GREAT hurry." Yuki replied coolly, blowing out a long trail of smoke.

"I would guess so. If he was alone… it just meant that he was in a rush a meet up with his manager and girlfriend…" Touma stared intently at Yuki who made no indication of what he felt.

"He has a girlfriend!" Tatsuha's jaw dropped.

"Apparently, yes. Miyamoto Haruko, the heiress to Miyamoto Works."

"Whoa… Shuichi's really doing very well. Even after quitting as a singer and everything. He's still as famous and successful…" Tatsuha breathed in awe, as Touma continued casting curious and worried glances at Yuki.

At this moment, Yuki's mobile phone rang.

"What!" That was Yuki's usual way of answering calls. By snapping.

"Eiri-san?" A husky voice sounded over the phone.

Yuki frowned and closed his eyes. _Atsushi._

"What do you want?"

"I want to meet you tonight at eleven, at the same old place. Is that fine?"

"Whatever for? I've got other women waiting for me."

"For fun." Atsushi's voice laced with mischief. "Please be there, or I'll miss you so much… And please don't bring your women along… "

The line went dead.

Yuki got up and headed for the door.

"Eiri-san, you're leaving so soon?"

"I need to finish my work." Yuki clicked the door close behind him.

_A girlfriend, huh? Well, he's doing very well without me. But it's not like I'm not doing well too… with my novels selling hot fast, and with all the women who are willing to throw themselves at me, including a guy, Atsushi… _Yuki entered the elevator and jabbed at a button. _We do fine without each other. Maybe even better._

xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx

Blaring horns of cars could be heard as they stepped out of "Sense Gallery", a high-class gallery where most major exhibitions are held.

"Phew… it's was lucky we made it in time…" Haruko breathed a sigh of relief, and then smile apologetically at her brother and Shuichi. "Sorry I forgot to tell you guys about this. Inoue-san called to inform me about the change when he couldn't contact oniichan…"

"It's ok since you remembered in time…" Tsuyoshi patted Haruko on her head. "Anyway, what's going on there?"

There was a crowd forming in front of a bookshop. Curious, the three of them hurried forward and tried peering into the bookshop through the excited crowd.

"Tanaka Miyabi!"

"Look! That's her!"

"She's so beautiful!"

Haruko frowned. "Who's Tanaka Miyabi?"

"Don't you know?" A lady turned to face them with disbelief. "She is a romance novelist that just surfaced in the industry, and her first book is very popular and fast-selling!"

"A romance novelist?" Shuichi gaped at the lady. "Like… Yuki Eiri?"

"Yes and no! She's not as famous as Yuki Eiri. Although her novel is very interesting and touching, it cannot beat Yuki-sensei's novels! Yuki-sensei is the best always!" The lady had a dreamy look on her face, two beating red hearts replacing her eyes.

Shuichi focused his eyes on Tanaka Miyabi. She was beautiful indeed with long, shiny, dark green hair and clear sea-blue eyes. Her smile was extremely bright too.

"Tanaka-sensei, do you actually believe in forever love? In a previous interview, Yuki Eiri-sensei (screams erupting from the crowd) had commented that forever love was a ridiculous idea. What do you think?" The reporter asked.

"Well, Yuki-sensei (screams from the crowd) is a very successful and well-known novelist, so his comments are _very precious _to me." Tanaka Miyabi smiled, but to Shuichi, it seemed to be forced. And did he detect a slight sarcasm in her voice?

"However, I do believe in forever love. It's a blessing that only some can enjoy, but it seems like Yuki-sensei is not one of them."

Several gasps could be heard, including Shuichi's.

_Was she insulting Yuki?_

"How dare you say that, you bitch!"

"Don't you dare insult my Yuki-san!"

Thee crowd grew enraged, mainly Yuki's ardent fans. They started hurling abuses back and glaring at Tanaka Miyabi. Some chose to leave.

"Come on, Shuichi. Looks like it's gonna get quite ugly and messy here. It's dangerous. Let's go…" Tsuyoshi maneuvered Shuichi and Haruko out of the crowd.

"Seems to me that Yuki Eiri is really popular here! But I understand the reason for that. His novels are really touching, don't you agree? I bet Jun will be really happy when she's here too!" Haruko laughed. "I hope that we get to meet Yuki-san…"

She turned to Shuichi. "You knew him when you were a singer, right?"

"Yeah… but…" Shuichi began panicking.

"Otousan said that Seguchi-san was very clever to come up with a marketing strategy like that. Using a 'gay' relationship to increase popularity… hahahahaha… how did you managed to pull that off?" She elbowed Shuichi gently, teasing him.

Shuichi forced himself to laugh along, silently relieved. _So that was how others saw us back then…_

"Shu-kun! We're free for the rest of today, before Bad Grasper's concert. Why don't you show us around! I want to visit all the interesting and fun places in Tokyo!"

"Sure!" Shuichi replied excitedly as they got into the car.

xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx

It was 10:01pm and deafening screams could be heard in Rave Box, a famous, cool party hall where rocks band play through the night.

Shuichi fidgeted as he waited alone in anticipation. Fortunately, nobody seemed to recognize Shuichi with his new look.

_Too bad Haruko's not feeling well…She must be too tired after visiting so many places today. I wished she could have been here to watch this… What a pity._

At long last, Hiro, Suguru and his no. 1 idol, Ryuichi, appeared on the stage.

_They look fabulous… _Shuichi noted, feeling a new surge of energy in him. _Cool! Hiro looks great, Fujisaki is always so confident, and Sakuma-san… he's the best forever!_

"Minna! Thanks for coming tonight! To kick off, here's 'Shining Collection'!" Ryuichi waved his arm hysterically, before switching to his serious mood.

……

_Kiss shining hito mi ni kuchizukete_

_Toke dasu hanabira mo jama ni naru_

_Make me shining irozuku shigeki no hate ni_

_Kagayakihajimeta maboroshi_

……

……

……

Shuichi felt great. This was even better than Nittle Grasper. Before long, he was screaming and waving madly (really MADLY) with the rest of the crowd, cheering Bad Grasper on as the band belted out their songs, including 'Sleepless Beauty' and their newest single 'Winter Love'.

It wasn't long before the concert ended.

"Whoa… I would love to attend more of their concerts before I return to America! Sakuma-san is soooo cool!" Shuichi clutched Bad Grasper's CD (with Ryuichi's autograph on it) tightly with a dreamy look on his face. When he had visited them backstage after the concert, Ryuichi had promptly glomped him countless times, chattering happily away, and presenting him their CD. "I'm gonna ask for a poster the next time!"

He was walking alone across a small park, towards the main street, on his way back to the hotel. It was then when he heard voices coming from the direction in front of him, where he was approaching. He could make out two figures latched together on the park bench.

"This is for you…"

He frowned. _Lovers making out… argh… I should just ignore them. It's rude to look…but…_

"You called me out just for this? It's a waste of my time."

_This voice…_

The other party chuckled. "Don't be so cold… not to me…"

Shuichi froze in his tracks as he made out who they were. Or at least one of them. The one who had glowing blonde hair and piercing golden eyes.

_Yuki…_

Yuki was locked in a kiss with a slender, pretty guy. They began touching each other with lust, before the stranger pulled away reluctantly. It seemed like he had caught Shuichi with the corner of his eye, as he turned to look in Shuichi's direction.

"Shuichi?" Yuki had traced Atsushi's gaze and found his ex-lover staring at him. As if on instinct, Yuki pushed Atsushi further away and stood him, brushing his coat hastily, before turning to address Shuichi again. "Why are you here?"

"I… I was just at Bad Grasper's concert… Rave Box… and now I'm on my way back… to the hotel." Shuichi fumbled and look away. After a slight pause, he turned back and gave Yuki a slight smile, somewhat sheepishly. "Er… Sorry to disturb you. I should be going…"

"Wait!" Yuki replied a bit too quickly, and looked away uneasily. "…Care for a midnight coffee?"

Shuichi frowned slightly, considering Atsushi. "But…"

"I see that you guys need to talk. I won't disturb you then. Call me soon, Eiri-san…" Atsushi began walking off in the direction of Rave Box.

Yuki ignored Atsushi and kept his eyes on Shuichi for an answer.

"Ok…" Shuichi nodded slightly, and followed as Yuki led the way to his car.

xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx

Silence hung in between them as they stirred and stared intently at their own cups of coffee.

Shuichi could hear his heart pounding in his ears. As usual,he was the one who tried to break the silence.

"I'm sorry about crashing into you this morning. I was really in a rush to settle some matters to do with my work…" Shuichi looked up at Yuki briefly, before looking away again.

"Forget it. You were saying 'work'… meaning the exhibition by Sakurai Akiha?" Yuki took a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah. Akiha's going to be here tomorrow night, and the exhibition will start the day after tomorrow."

"You're his model?"

"Yup! I'm his model for his personal work, but if some company engages him to be in charge of advertising, I'm the model for most of those advertisements as well."

"Oh… so how long will you be in town?"

"2 to 3 weeks… Akiha did mention wanting to take photos in Tokyo, before we return to America."

Silence. So far, the conversation was going on just fine, but it felt as if they were strangers talking casually to each other.

"Is… is there anyone who came back to Tokyo with you?"

"Well, yes! My manager and my…" Shuichi realized what he was about to say. Embarrassed, he trailed off and chose to drink his coffee instead.

"Your girlfriend?"

Shuichi almost choked. Struggling to recover himself, he blushed andlooked away, giving a small nod.

Silence.

"Good for you…" Yuki dug into his coat for his pack of cigarettes.

"Thanks… and… er… is that your…" Shuichi fumbled again.

"No. He's only one amongst many." Yuki replied, feeling a little irritated and unhappy for some reason. "I don't go into serious relationships."

Immediately, he regretted his choice of words as he saw Shuichi cringed. An awkward silence followed.

Trying to find something to busy himself with so as to feel less uncomfortable, Yuki reached for the tiny menu that stood on the table. Coincidentally, Shuichi had reached for the same menu at the same time. Their hands touched each other's for a brief moment.Yuki froze while Shuichi's eyes widened in shock. However, Yuki's heart sank and he felt a strange contracting pain as he watched Shuichi recoil in fright, pulling his hand back as quickly as possible.

"Sorry." His ex-pink hair lover murmured.

But if Shuichi had dared to look up at Yuki, he might haveseenthe hurtreflected in Yuki's startling golden eyes, even if it lasted only for a few seconds.Yuki withdrew his hand and raised it up to brush his hair back instead.

After a few minutes of silence again, Shuichi finally smiled and said: "It's getting late. I should be going, or they'll be worried…… See you another time?"

"Hnn…" Yuki set his cup down. "Want a lift back?"

Standing up, Shuichi smiled and shook his head. "It's ok… I'll just hail a cab. Bye!"

Yuki only nodded in response.

And Shuichi left.

**xx tbc xx**

* * *

**Ok! End of chapter 3. I realized that there are many change of scenes in a chapter. Hope it's ok…**

**It's gonna be funnier and brighter when Akiha appears… in the next, next chapter! Hee hee. I can't wait! So, PLEASE read on!**

**But somehow… I feel as though I'm trying to handle too many parts of the story… like there're too many things happening and too many characters. Sigh… I hope I don't confuse you guys! I'll try to focus more on Yuki and Shu!**


	4. Double Date

**Hey guys! Thanks for all your reviews! Please continue reading!**

**And toSnug-san: I know that it is spelt as 'Tohma' in the English subtitles for the anime. But I was thinking… there's so such thing as an 'h' by itself in the Japanese language.that's whyI thought thatin romaji, his name is actually spelt as 'To-u-ma' instead. Maybe I'm wrong… I'm not sure, 'cos I've only started learning Japanese a while ago. Hee... Butsince it bothers you so much, I'll use 'Tohma' from now on…**

**This chapter is not really special or exciting, but i still hafta put it in. Will put up the next one soon. **

**Oh, and ignore Haruko's different ways of addressing Shuichi. I know that in the earlier chapters, I used "Shu-chan". At first, I just wanted it to be cute and to show that they're close. But "-chan" is normally used for guys, right? So I swtiched to using "Shu-kun" and "Shuichi".**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation belongs to Maki Murakami, not to me.

* * *

MOU ICHI DO **

**Chapter 4 --- Double Date**

Shuichi and Haruko, Hiro and Ayaka were having a double date this afternoon. But currently, Haruko and Ayaka were out somewhere shopping, while Shuichi and Hiro were seated in a café, chatting to catch up on the good times.

Hiro chuckled. "Haruko-san sure is lively and full of energy. Just like you… You two make a perfect match! What stage are you at now? Far enough to get babies?"

"Hiroooo!" Shuichi blushed.

Hiro burst out into laughter. "God… I'm so glad to see you so happy… Maybe you were right in leaving a year ago…"

Shuichi's eyes soften and he smiled, touched.

_Flashback:_

"_Seguchi-san, I want to quit Bad Luck. I want to quit as a singer. I want to leave this place…" Shuichi kept his face down, clenching his fists, willing himself not to cry._

"_What do you mean?" Tohma narrowed his eyes._

"_I broke up with Yuki last night. I won't be going back again. I want to leave… I need to… Please…" Shuichi was trembling by now._

_Tohma sighed sadly as he took in Shuichi's pained look. "Shindou-san… after what you and Eiri-san have been through, I do not intend to interfere in your relationship with Eiri-san again. I do not object to this relationship, do you understand?"_

_Shuichi nodded slightly._

"_But if you've made a decision, and so has Eiri-san… I'll respect this decision. Don't worry about your contract. I'll settle everything. You may leave anytime you want…"_

"_Thank you…"_

_xxxxxxxxxxxx_

"_What! You've quit Bad Luck!" Shouts of surprise and anger could be heard. Sakano spun into a tornado._

_Shuichi nodded._

"_What do you mean by this! You can't leave!" Hiro grabbed Shuichi by the collar. It was only then did he notice the pain and hurt and wounds in Shuichi's eyes. It was only then that he realized that Shuichi was breaking down completely._

"_What has Tohma got to say about this?" K held out a gun at Shuichi._

"_He told me I could go…" Shuichi's voice broke and he cried. "I'm really sorry… sorry… sorry…"_

_Suguru prepared to speak, but Hiro stopped him._

"_It's ok… let him ago… He needs to go… Right, Shuichi?" Hiro pulled Shuichi into a hug. "It's ok… Take your time to recover. We'll be waiting for you here. Always…"_

_End of flashback._

"It seemed like it was only yesterday…" Hiro sighed. "So, are you ready to come back? We're ready to welcome you back anytime. Even Sakuma-san…"

Shuichi shook his head. "No… I don't think I'm going back to join you guys. To tell you the truth, I've stopped singing completely over this period of time. And I don't think I'll ever sing again. I don't intend to…"

"Is it because of Yuki?"

"No... It's just that I've lost my previous interest for singing as I make my way into the modeling. Singing is not my first priority anymore. In fact, I've got more confidence in modeling than singing now." Shuichi laughed to himself before continuing. "Besides, the relationship between me and Yuki is now past… everything's over. Though I met him last night and we talked."

"What? Really!" Hiro gaped in disbelief.

Shuichi nodded. "Though we hardly had anything much to say… but I hope we can still be friends… He was with this other guy too. Seems to me that they're lovers..."

"Yuki-san... with a guy again!" Hiro stared agaped. "His relationships with others are really complex eh?"

_Stupid me! What am I saying!_ Hiro chided himself as he caught Shuichi's uneasiness. "Sorry... I didn't mean anything."

"It's okay. Like I just said... It's all in the past now..."

Hiro's expression softened. "Shuichi… Anyway, tell me, how did you become a model? I mean, with your crazy character… in front of a camera? " Hiro laughed, trying to change the subject.

"Hey! I'm not crazy! Hmm… do you remember K giving me the address of his 'trusted friend'? That dumbass K! That address didn't exist at all! I was going crazy trying to find my way through that English-speaking country when I stumbled into an outdoor photo shoot. And there was Akiha. He took a few looks at me and invited me to be his model. I didn't want to accept it initially, but the pay was really good! Besides, the whole crew spoke Japanese. So, eventually, I decided to give it a try. And after some time, I actually love doing this job!" Shuichi blabbered on and on.

"It doesn't mean that I have to stay still in front of the camera. I just have to act natural. In the beginning, it was quite difficult. I mean, how do you act natural when everyone's staring at you! It's so embarrassing! But eventually, I got used to it. Akiha said the key was connecting. And he said that he felt that he could see lots in me, and it was easy to connect with me to bring out the hidden special side in me…" Shuichi paused to take a breath.

"Hmm… the art of photography… it's hard to understand." Hiro mused out loud.

"Yeah… but I'm starting to understand what Akiha meant…"

"Sounds like Sakurai Akiha's really talented."

"Yup! We work in a small crew as Akiha works only with the people he likes. He claims that he could only connect with people he likes…"

"Oh, and his winning photo was one of you?"

"Ha… I was so surprised and happy that that photo won the award! Sometimes I wonder how did that happened. Akiha and the rest commented that I looked really good in that photo, but… I don't really like it…" Shuichi gave a small laugh.

"You're just too modest!" Hiro grinned. "Bet it was beautiful…"

Shuichi looked away. His bitter-sad smile caught Hiro by surprise.

"We're back!" Haruko burst in with Ayaka, radiating with triumph and happiness. She glomped Shuichi and pecked him lightly on the cheek.

"Shu-kuuun! Look what I've got! This is for you!" She placed a cap over Shuichi's head. "It matches your outfit!"

Shuichi laughed. "Thank you! You've gotten so much stuff in such a short period of time!"

Both Hiro and Ayaka smiled too.

"That's because there're so many great stuff on sale!" Haruko took a seat next to Shuichi, hooked her arm around Shuichi's and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm a little tired now…"

Shuichi turned, breathing in the flowery scent of Haruko's blond hair. "Shouldn't you eat something? I'll order a cake for you…"

"Okay! But I want-"

"Yes, yes, I know. Strawberry cheesecake, right? And ice lemon tea…"

Haruko giggled. "You know me so well!" She cuddled closer to her boyfriend.

"Lovers are supposed to know each other well…" Hiro winked at Shuichi and Haruko. "Their likes and dislikes…"

Haruko nodded. "Well, I know that Shuichi loves strawberry pocky!"

They laughed.

"Hmm… this cake is delicious!" Haruko exclaimed after the cake was served. "Do you want to try some?" She held out a forkful of cake to Shuichi.

"Well… ok." Shuichi moved forward and ate the cake while Haruko held onto the fork. "…It really tastes quite nice…"

"I told you so! Do you want more?"

Just then, Hiro laughed while Ayaka stifled a giggle.

"What!" Shuichi and Haruko exclaimed together.

Hiro stopped and grin at them. "You guys are so loving… it's so mushy… And you two aren't getting any younger… maybe you should just get married soon."

"What!" Both Shuichi and Haruko blushed beet red, and started babbling: "What… are you talking about? We're… we're still… young. And… and, and…"

"Hahahahaha! The two of you are quite alike in a way… shyness…" Hiro smirked.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes. "Oh? But I remember that we're of the same age, Hiro. Doesn't that mean you're not getting any younger too? Why don't you propose to Ayaka-san. Besides, the two of you have been dating for a longer period than us…"

This time, it was Hiro's and Ayaka's turn to blush.

"Shuichi!" Hiro whispered harshly in embarrassment.

The two couples stared at each other for a moment, before bursting out into laughter.

Shuichi shook his head, and turned to Haruko. "Anyway, we had better get going. We're supposed to meet Tsuyoshi right?"

"Ah! Shindou-san! We almost forgot… It's Tatsuha-san's birthday today, and he has invited everybody to a dinner party at Sakura Restaurant, including you and Haruko-san. He wants us to pass you this message. Will you be going tonight?" Ayaka and Hiro both looked at Shuichi.

Shuichi frowned. "Oh… but Akiha's reaching Tokyo tonight."

"It's ok, Shu-kun. I'll just go pick Akiha and Jun up with oniichan. You should go celebrate with your friends. Besides, we'll be extremely busy soon. You should use whatever chance you've got to meet up with your family and friends." Haruko encouraged understandingly.

"Okay then. Tell Tatsuha I'll be there…" Shuichi helped Haruko with her shopping bags. "See you guys tonight!"

He took Haruko's hand, picked up her shopping bags with his other hand and led the way out, both of them smiling and chattering at the same time.

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

Yuki sat in front of his laptop, stuck at his second page. He tried to recollect his thoughts and focus on writing, but his mind kept wandering back to last night's talk with Shuichi, feeling helpless and upset at how their meeting turned out.

_We didn't even have much to talk about. If it was the past, that brat could never keep his mouth shut… and last night, he hardly called my name… _

Truth to be told, he actually missed the endless calls of "Yukiiiiiiiiiiii!" from Shuichi.

He reached for his lighter to light his cigarette.

(Flick. Flick.)

_Damn… this lighter isn't working at all! What a stupid lighter Atsushi got me…_

Cursing, he reached for his reliable old lighter… and the smiling face of Shuichi came into his view. There, on the lighter, was the neoprint of the two of them. The color had faded just a little by now, but it was still stuck there.

_That brat was smiling so happily… _

The ringing of the phone snapped him back into reality. Cursing again, he reached for the phone.

It was Tatsuha on the line.

"Aniki! Don't forget the dinner party tonight! It's my birthday! You have to come with a present!" Tatsuha yelled over the phone in a commanding tone.

"Why do I have to attend such a stupid party? I'm not celebrating the birth of an idiot."

"Aniki! …I don't care! Get your ass here for dinner!"

"Ok, ok. Whatever. Just stop shouting!"

"Oh, and Shuichi will be-"

But the line went dead as Yuki replaced the phone.

_Shuichi? He'll be there?_

Sighing in frustration, the novelist stepped into the shower, beginning his preparation to leave for dinner.

**xXx tbc xXx**

* * *

This chapter talks about Akiha's work. The thing about connection and all? I wasn't the one who came out with it. It's adapted from Hana Kimi… Hope that it wasn't too boring. And, I needed to show that Shuichi and Haruko are a loving couple… hope that this was conveyed successfully! 

Next chapter: the appearance of two new characters, Akiha and Jun.

**There's very little direct contact between Shuichi and Yuki… even for the next few chapters. Only touching on their relationship. Misunderstandings, jealousy, uneasiness, pain, hurt, etc… POVs? Direct contact will only come later, chapter 8 or 9. But I'll make up to you guys for having writing it late by having them talk more, touch more, blah blah blah! Haha…**


	5. Birthday Dinner

**Hi, hi! Once again, THANKS to all who reviewed the last chapter! **

**I agree that it's hard to imagine Shuichi with a girl… that's part of the point… I think. Anyway, that's why I made Akiha out to be a crazy character. You'll understand what I mean after you've read this chapter. Besides, Shuichi's POV in the upcoming chapter 7 would reveal his thoughts on his relationship with Haruko, Akiha and Yuki. Maybe that will provide a clearer idea of where this story's headed.**

**And, the point of making Shu and Haruko close? It is to make it hard for Shu and Yuki to get back together! Hahahaha! I'm evil! Kidding… I love YukixShu… But what's the point if I make things easy for them? Oh no… I guess I'm really evil after all…**

**Maybe I should have just hook Shu up with Akiha… but that would really make him a homo. Sigh… I'm just babbling on and on. But it's too late to change anything now, so I'll just stick with it and most probably, some new characters will only be very minor characters.**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 5 --- Birthday Dinner**

"Aniki! You're here!" Tatsuha called out in excitement and began scanning Yuki from head to toe. "Where's my present?"

"I didn't get you any."

"What!" Tatsuha's face fell. "Oh well, at least you're here."

Tatsuha's birthday dinner party was being held in a huge VIP room of a classy restaurant, where there were trays of food laid out on a long table at one side of the room, a huge round table near the centre, and couches with a TV set, hi-fi set, karaoke set etc at the other side, near the entrance. The room was well-lit with chandeliers, and all the plates and cutlery present were gleaming clean. Currently, everyone was seated at the couches, except Yuki who sat at the dining table as he hated crowds.

"Yeah… I haven't seen you for quite some time, Eiri." Mika glowered at Yuki. "Not hiding with your worthless girlfriends and boyfriends, I hope?"

Yuki ignored her, staring at the wine glass in front of him. This only added onto her anger. Mika was about to open her mouth again to reprimand her brother when…

"SHUICHI!" A high pitched voice called out as its owner glomped the brown hair boy who had just walked in.

"Sakuma-san!" Warm laughter could be heard and Yuki turned to the entrance, getting a view of two bodies entangled on the floor.

Tatsuha ran over immediately. "Shuichi! It's great to see you! You've dyed your hair?"

"Ah, Tatsuha! Here's your present. I'm sorry but we got it at the last minute. It's from me and Haruko…"

"Thanks! But where's your girlfriend?"

Yuki held his breath unknowingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but she had to go to the airport to pick Akiha and Jun up. Sorry!"

"It's ok… come! Grab something to eat. Dinner has started and it's in a buffet style…"

Shuichi greeted Hiro, Ayaka, K, Sakano and Noriko, before Tatsuha led Shuichi towards the food, where Yuki, Mika and Tohma were close by.

"I wonder what's going to happen…" K narrowed his eyes, while Sakano shook with fear and worry.

"Don't worry. Shuichi can handle it." Hiro whispered calmly.

K, Sakano, Noriko, Suguru and Ayaka looked at Hiro, puzzled as to what made him say that.

"Shindou… nice to see you again. You're doing very well!" Mika smiled and hugged Shuichi.

Embarrassed, Shuichi blushed and replied: "Ah… not really. But I'm glad to see you too! You're just as beautiful and scary as ever!"

"… What did you say?" A vein on Mika's forehead twitched.

Shuichi gulped and laughed nervously. "Er… I was just kidding! Honestly!"

_Baka…_ Yuki suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and smirk.

"You're still as interesting as before, Shindou-san…" Tohma chuckled and shook hands with Shuichi.

Then, Shuichi noticed Yuki. Nobody knew, but at this point, Shuichi's heart skipped a beat.

Everyone looked in silence at the ex-couple.

Thinking as fast as he could, Shuichi chose to smile and murmured softly. "Hi… thanks for the coffee last night…"

"It was nothing." Yuki nodded and replied coolly, avoiding Shuichi's eyes, trying to keep up his indifference.

Everyone gaped as their jaws fell wide open. _LAST NIGHT!_

"I'd better get something to eat… I'm hungry. Aren't you guys eating?" Shuichi brushed his fringe back, addressing Mika, Tohma and Yuki at the same time.

"… Sure… you go ahead…" Mika was too stunned to speak fluently. Tohma didn't trust himself to talk.

Shuichi smiled sheepishly. "Ok then!"

He skipped over to the table where the food were placed, calling out for Hiro to join him. "Hiro! Fujisaki! Sakuma-san! Aren't you guys going to eat! I'm going to finish everything if you guys don't hurry! Of course I'll leave some for Sakuma-san! But only for Sakuma-san!"

"Wait for me, Shuichiiiii! Kumagorou's hungry na no da!" Ryuichi bounced over to Shuichi, with his pink stuff bunny safely on his head.

It took a few whole minutes before anyone else moved.

"I can't believe that!" Noriko whispered to K, who nodded thoughtfully.

Sakano removed his spectacles; wipe them clean, before putting them on again. "Is that really Shindou-kun?"

Soon, everyone got their food and was seated at the dining table, eating and talking.

Nobody noticed as Yuki stole glances at the bubbly Shuichi who was enjoying himself thoroughly every moment.

_He looks so happy and beautiful…_

Yuki looked down at his plate as he felt a bitter taste in his mouth, wondering if the food was poorly cooked.

_I guess it's not the problem with the food…_

"Shuichi, sorry to mess up your schedule, famous model!" Tatsuha began. "I heard that you were supposed to meet Sakurai Akiha tonight…"

"Don't worry about that! It doesn't matter. It's not that I like seeing him…" Shuichi looked a little drunk as he stood up to get more food. "That stupid Akiha. He's a downright idiot… Sakurai Akiha..."

"You were calling me?" A voice breathed gently into Shuichi's ear.

Shuichi froze completely. As did everyone and the TV screen.

"So you missed me so much? We've only been apart for a few days… and you're already missing me like hell?" Fingers ran down Shuichi's back, and then he was grabbed and hugged from behind. A hand even went under Shuichi's shirt, exploring his warm skin. "My Shuichi…"

In a split second, Shuichi had recovered from his initial shock and he let out an ear-piercing scream, struggling to free himself, and pushing the stranger back. He spun around to face the stranger and leaned against the table for support.

The tall, slender and elegant stranger had bleached blond hair (like Touma's) pulled back into a low ponytail but with fringe falling down over the sides of his face, warm hazel eyes, and a gorgeous grin. He wore a casual long sleeve black T-shirt and designer jeans, and had on a blood-red earring on each ear.

Shuichi stared in horror at the sight before him. "Akiha!"

"Akiha?" The rest of the gang repeated in surprise. Yuki frowned.

Shuichi began moving away from the table, and away from the handsome photographer, stuttering at the same time. "What… what are YOU doing here? Where are Haruko and Tsuyoshi? They were supposed to pick you up. What are you doing here alone!"

Akiha's grin widened. "I didn't see them at the airport… my flight was early. So I came looking for you first… I received an email from Haruko, on the plane, saying that you were attending your friend's birthday party which was to be held here…"

He moved towards Shuichi who kept walking backwards, never letting his eyes off Akiha. Everybody watched on curiously.

"And the next thing I knew, I was hearing you call my name so desperately and lovingly that I had to show myself to comfort you…"

"Stop making up stories! Who missed you! Who called you lovingly! You idiot-" Unfortunately, Shuichi wasn't watching where he was heading (he was walking backwards), he fell back onto a couch near the TV area. He struggled to get up, and began to panic as he watched Akiha close in.

"You're forever so clumsy but cute… Shu-chan…" Akiha's voice was laced with mischief. He climbed on top of Shuichi, purring "And you're so beautiful… it makes me feel like devouring you… my dearest Shu-chan…"

Shuichi felt his hair stand on its ends. "GET OFF ME, YOU PERVERT!" He struggled with all his might.

"Why? Are you feeling embarrassed? But we've done this so many times!" Akiha gazed deeply into Shuichi's violet eyes.

"WE HAVEN'T! STOP BLABBERING NONSENSE! GET OFF!"

Yuki frowned and gritted his teeth as he watched the guy called Akiha climbed all over Shuichi. He tightened his fists and tried very hard to restrain himself from striding over and yanking the perverted guy off Shuichi.

Shuichi was getting desperate by now. He wasn't a match for Akiha's strength.

Fortunately, all of a sudden, Akiha was jerked back off Shuichi with the help of an unknown force.

Scrambling to get up and then placing himself a safe distance away from Akiha, Shuichi turned to thank his helper.

"Jun!" Shuichi's eyes widened in shock and gratefulness. "Thank god you're here. Get that crazy pervert away from me!"

A lady with short jet black hair was holding Akiha by the back collar.

"What do you think you're doing, Akiha! Stop bullying Shuichi! He's Haruko's boyfriend, get it!" Jun shook Akiha vigorously, hoping to knock some sense into him.

"But I'm his mistress… his secret lover! We're supposed to date, hug, kiss and make love whenever Haruko isn't around…" Akiha tried to pout.

"WE'RE NOT LOVERS! FOR GOODNESS SAKE! WON'T YOU STOP PESTERING ME LIKE THAT! THAT'S CALLED SEXUAL HARRASSMENT!" Shuichi leaned against the wall and slid down in defeat. "I don't know how much more of this I can take…"

"Stop loving you? No way! You're too beautiful…" Somehow, Akiha had freed himself from Jun's grasp. He knelt down by Shuichi, grinned, grabbed his chin and brushed his lips against Shuichi's pretty lips.

Everyone gaped at the sight in shock, turning blue (or green). Yuki narrowed his eyes dangerously at Akiha.

Akiha chuckled in triumph. "I love kissing you! You're so kissable and your lips taste like honey! Let's try a passionate wet kiss next time!"

Turning as red as a tomato, Shuichi shook in anger. Without warning, he delivered Akiha a punch, sending him flying up, hitting the ceiling. When he landed again, he was all dizzy with swirly eyes and rubber limbs.

"Ok… now I understand the reasons for your reaction earlier…" Tatsuha laughed hysterically. "You're still as charming no matter where you go, don't you agree, aniki?"

All he got in return were glares from Mika and Tohma, while Yuki held onto his cool and seemingly uncaring exterior. But if looks could kill, Tatsuha would already be murdered by Mika and Tohma.

Shuichi only blushed harder in embarrassment. _Oh no… I've forgotten that Yuki was here. Now he has witnessed everything. Oh nooooo! Just let me die!_

"I'm really sorry about that…" Jun bowed in apology. "Sorry to disturb your dinner…"

"Hahaha!" Akiha got up and brush dirt off his clothes. "Sorry about that. Shuichi is just too irresistible at times… (earning more yells from Shuichi). Let me introduce myself formally." He strode over to the table. "I'm Sakurai Akiha, Shuichi's beloved photographer, here for my exhibition which features Shuichi as my model. And Jun is our hairstylist and make-up artist. I believe you have met Tsuyoshi, who's our manager overall. The rest of our small crew are in America. And, Haruko's just accompanying us on this trip so as to prevent Shuichi and me from taking our relationship one step further…"

"Stop. It." Shuichi glared threateningly at Akiha.

"Ooh… you're so pretty when you're angry too…" Akiha winked before turning dreamy. "Anyway, all of you, being Shuichi's friends, are invited to the opening launch of the exhibition tomorrow evening. Here!"

He handed an invitation card to each of them around the table, one by one.

"Ah! Seguchi-san!" Akiha exclaimed as he reached Tohma.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it? Sakurai-san?" Tohma stood and smiled politely and shook hands with Akiha. "We've only met briefly at a party held at Miyamoto Works last year."

"Right. I'm sorry I didn't manage to talk to you much… I was so busy…" Akiha smiled apologetically. He then noticed the blond hair novelist seated next to Tohma. "Hmm? You look familiar… you're…"

Yuki shot Akiha a brief sideway glare, before picking up his glass of wine.

"This is my brother-in-law, Yuki Eiri…" Tohma answered for Yuki.

Akiha raised his eyebrows as a deafening scream filled the room, causing everyone to jump in fright.

"NANI! YUKI EIRI! Really?" Jun ran up beside Akiha, peering at Yuki excitedly. "You're that Yuki Eiri! Japan's famous drop-dead gorgeous romance novelist!"

"…" Yuki glanced at Jun in disdain. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Oh no no no no no! I'm just so glad to meet you! Yuki Eiri for real? I'm not dreaming, am I? Oh god…" Jun blabbered on, unable to contain her excitement and disbelief.

"Jun-san… are you a… fan of Eiri-san?" Tohma asked tentatively.

Akiha chuckled as Jun continued to be buried in her happiness. "Didn't Shuichi tell you? Jun's a BIG fan of Yuki Eiri. She commands me to buy her Yuki Eiri's novels whenever I visit Japan. Haruko just got a little influenced by Jun. Hahahahaha! That's the other reason as to why they were so eager to visit Japan. They were hoping to meet Yuki-san through Shuichi!"

"Oh my god!" Jun turned back and shot Shuichi an accusing look. "Shuichi! Why didn't you tell me that Yuki-san will be here!" She began straightening her hair, hoping to look more presentable.

"… huh? How would I know? You aren't even supposed to be here!" Shuichi protested, pouting.

Akiha laughed. "You can't blame him. Of course he wants to keep it a secret, since he's meeting his ex-lover!"

At this, Shuichi felt his heart stopped. All around, everyone froze.

"Akiha! Don't spout nonsense! That's disgusting! Shuichi and Yuki-san will never do that. That's just a made-up story used to promote their popularity… though I will never agree with such a marketing strategy." Jun screwed up her face in repulsion.

"…" Those who knew better just stared at Jun silently.

"Well, anyway…" Akiha grabbed Yuki's chin and held it up, examining Yuki's face seriously. "You're really beautiful. I could do lots with your looks…"

"Get your hands off me." Yuki snapped and grabbed Akiha's intruding hand and jerking it away.

"But…" Akiha frowned.

"Stop hitting on him! Get away from Yuki, you pervert!" Shuichi had gotten up over to Akiha's side by now. Realizing what he had just said, he blushed and hurried to correct his mistake, stuttering frantically: "I mean, stop… bothering him…"

Yuki's heartbeat was racing. _Did that meant that Shuichi's jealous?_

"Ooh… Are you jealous?" The ends of Akiha's mouth curled up into a playful grin.

"What! No… I just got the… the wrong word! I really didn't mean it! Don't… don't spout nonsense!" Shuichi blushed even more, getting all flustered and alarmed.

Akiha smirked, and bent down to level his eyes with Shuichi's. "Don't worry… I was just kidding. I won't allow you to feel jealous over someone else… because you're mine…"

Shuichi sweatdropped, feeling helpless at Akiha's stupidity.

Akiha straightened up, turned back to the table, smiled and waved. "Well then, so long for now. I'll be claiming Shuichi back now as we have a long day tomorrow. See you guys at the exhibition tomorrow night!"

And with that, he scooped the unprepared Shuichi into his arms and began to walk towards the door.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused. Hope to see all of you again soon, especially you, Yuki-san! Please remember to turn up for the exhibition!" Jun smiled demurely, bowed and ran after Akiha.

Shuichi was yelling and screaming in protest by now, so loudly that everyone could still him even though he was already far out of the VIP room.

"LET ME DOWN! YOU PERVERT! YOU IDIOT!"

"But I don't wannaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Akiha's whiny voice followed.

"Akiha! Let him down this instant!" That was Jun's reprimanding voice.

CRASH!

"Ouch! What are you doing! It hurts!" Shuichi screamed in pain.

"But you were the one who wanted me to let go!"

"You're supposed to let me down nicely! Not drop me without any warning from that height!"

"Oh."

"Are you ok, Shuichi?" Jun asked in concern.

"No. It hurts so much!"

"Then I'll just have to carry you again!"

"NOOOOOOO! LET ME DOWN! HENTAI! GET AWAY FROM ME! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! BAKAAAAAAAAA!"

The commotion faded as minutes passed.

"Looks like Shuichi's life isn't as great as it had seemed to be…" Hiro was still deep in shock.

All around the table, everybody nodded stiffly in agreement, with the exception of the blond novelist who was in a really foul mood now.\

**xXx tbc xXx**

* * *

This is quite a long chapter! Oh dear! Hope you guys didn't get lost reading it! Maybe some of you may have noticed: Sakurai Akiha is modeled after the Akiha from Hana Kimi. I've always thought Akiha in Hana Kimi was so funny and cute! But I love the school doctor Akiha pesters endlessly. I forgot what his name was…

To make it clear, the new people around Shuichi are: **Haruko**, his girlfriend; **Tsuyoshi**, his manager and Haruko's elder brother; **Akiha**, his boss, the famous photographer; **Jun**, one of Akiha's crew, make-up artist and hairstylist.

Other new characters: **Atsushi**, one of Yuki's lover, his only guy lover… who appears to be very slutty… in my opinion. I'm planning to do a Yuki POV on Atsushi. **Tanaka Miyabi**, a new romance novelist… more will be revealed in the later chapters.

Next up: The exhibition. I feel like I'm neglecting Yuki. Argh... I'll try to write more about him. Sorry...


	6. The Exhibition

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! Sorry for the late update cos I've been very busy as it'sa few daysbefore X'mas! Oh yeah... MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! Minna-san, kurisumasu omedetou! Hee... hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.**

(1) Gokurousama: Thank you for the hard work (Japanese use this phrase quite often)

* * *

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 6 --- The Exhibition**

"Aniki! Will you please hurry up? We're already late!" Tatsuha yelled over his shoulder to the blond novelist who was still strolling at a comfortable pace.

"Does it matter?" Yuki blew out a puff of smoke. "I mean, why do I have to go for this exhibition anyway?"

Tatsuha stopped and smirked. "Because… it showcases photographs of Shu-i-chi."

Yuki narrowed his eyes. "So? What he does is none of my business now."

"…" Tatsuha sighed. "Anyway, since we're invited, let's just hurry up! It's only up there… in front…"

The next moment, the two brothers stepped into 'Sense Gallery'… only to be greeted by the sight of a certain brown hair boy squatting at a corner near the entrance, facing the wall, with a dark atmosphere around him.

Tatsuha sweatdropped. "Er… Shuichi? What are you doing?"

The brown hair boy whipped his head around to face Tatsuha with two stony eyes. "Me? I'm squatting here, hoping that nobody would notice me or that I'd disappear into nothingness so that I could be saved from further embarrassment. And of course, I'm cursing Akiha, hoping that he would suffer like hell…"

Tatsuha chuckled. "What? Are you being sexually harassed again?"

"That's not the only point! He-" Shuichi froze suddenly as he realized that a familiar, stunning, attractive guy was standing behind Tatsuha staring at him. He stood up in a flash and started feeling nervous. "Er…Yuki, hi…"

Yuki found himself gazing at his beautiful ex-lover again. Shuichi was looking splendid in a pair of black leather pants, a navy blue sleeveless branded shirt, and a long black coat that hung disheveled on his arms around the elbows, revealing his upper half of his arms and his shoulders as a result. Yuki peeled his eyes away from Shuichi and glance around, noting that there were many outstanding guests present at the exhibition.

"The exhibition is successful and popular as I see… Congrats on that." Yuki spoke emotionlessly as he always does.

"…Thanks…" Shuichi replied softly, a little embarrassed.

Silence.

But that silence did not last for long as all of a sudden, a girl came leaping at Shuichi, kissing him on the cheek. She was dressed in a green long-sleeve woolen low-cut blouse with a short denim skirt. Her blonde hair was tied up in two loose French plaits. "Shuichi! Gokurousama1! Congratulations on the successful launch!"

"Haruko! Ah… thanks…" Shuichi smiled back.

"So… this is your girlfriend, Shuichi?" Tatsuha grin teasingly. "Good taste! And I thought you didn't know much about girls…"

Shuichi tried his best to glare back at Tatsuha while he continued blushing. _What am I doing! This is so embarrassing! Yuki's here…_

"Hi! You guys must be Shuichi's friends too! I'm Miyamoto Haruko. Please to meet you." Haruko smiled brightly at Tatsuha and Yuki.

"Please to meet you too. I'm Tatsuha, and this is…"

Haruko gasped and pointed her finger at Yuki. "You're… you're… Yu-"

Shuichi clamped his hand over Haruko's mouth before she could continue. "Haruko! Don't scream! There're reporters here…" He whispered anxiously into Haruko's ear, and only removed his hand when she nodded.

Both Yuki and Tatsuha raised their eyebrows.

"You're mistaken, Shu-kun. All the reporters have left after the press conference earlier. The exhibition is only opened to invited guests tonight, before it's opened to the public tomorrow."

Shuichi breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that the reporters weren't here to see Yuki present… or else… Just thinking about it made him cringe. He had a hard time answering questions on his love life at the press conference earlier. Fortunately, after three continuously questions on that area of his life, Tsuyoshi and Akiha forbid everyone from prying any further.

Haruko turned back to Yuki. "Yuki Eiri… I'm so glad to meet you! Jun couldn't stop talking about you after meeting you last night!" Then, she took a step forward and jumped up to hug Yuki.

"What-" Yuki jumped in shock, and was prepared to snap at Haruko when she was pulled back… by Shuichi, into his arms.

"Ah… er… sorry about that, Yuki…" Shuichi blushed and apologized.

At the sight of Shuichi holding Haruko in his arms, Yuki found himself lost for words. He looked away pissed.

Haruko giggled. "I'm just so excited to see you in person!" She turned to her boyfriend who was still holding onto her. "Oh, by the way, Shu-kun… I came to look for you because Akiha wanted to show your friends around. I just thought that you may want to be present to ensure that he doesn't start saying stuff you don't like…"

Shuichi stiffened and the dark atmosphere surrounding him earlier returned. In the blink of an eye, he was zooming off to find Akiha.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Tatsuha called after Shuichi.

Haruko laughed. "Come on, I'll bring you guys to the rest… Shu-kun's gonna be pretty busy dealing with Akiha."

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

(Attn: All photographs exhibited are of course enlarged photographs. Like the size of portraits or bigger...)

Hiro, Ayaka, Suguru, K, Sakano, Noriko, Tohma and Mika were standing in front of an exhibition piece, with Akiha as their guide. They all had on a dark aura of exasperation, disbelief, helplessness and an urge to escape from Akiha as the only thing on their mind now was "…". Only Ryuichi was bouncing excitedly with Kumagorou, chatting happily with Tsuyoshi. Jun was nowhere to be seen.

"And this picture shows my dear Shu-chan basking in the morning sunshine. Look! He's smiling slightly as he thinks of me, my beautiful eyes, the warm touch of my skin, the love between us… And those flowers he's holding? I gave him those to show how much I love him. We'll never ever leave each other's side in the time to come… Because the love between us is as deep as the deepest sea in the whole world! It's-"

SMACK!

A shoe came flying into Akiha's face, cutting his speech off.

"What were you saying? Akiha?" A strained voice called out. "If you dare go on any further with that nonsensical speech of yours, I'll make sure you die an ugly death." Shuichi stepped up with one foot only covered in his sock.

"Ah… My love! Where have you been? I was looking for you the whole night! Come, let me help you with this…" Akiha knelt down before Shuichi and helped Shuichi put his shoe on. He then took Shuichi's hand and planted a kiss on it. "Would you dance with me, my love?"

Everyone felt a strange shiver run down their spine, including Shuichi who turned green.

"Get lost, you pervert! If I don't kill you today, I'm not considered a man!" Shuichi cracked his knuckles and glared dangerously at Akiha, ready to launch his attack.

"Now, now… would both of you stop it? There so many people here tonight, and we have got guests with us at this moment. Akiha…" Tsuyoshi intervened just in time.

"Okay then…" Akiha got up and brushed his coat. "Oh! My second ideal model is here!"

Everyone turned to where Akiha's gaze was directed. Yuki… who was looking as gorgeous as ever.

"Eiri-san! You came…" Tohma blinked in disbelief.

Tatsuha shook his head. "It was me who dragged him here. This exhibition is too interesting to be missed…… Sakuma-san!" The obsessed, crazy Sakuma Ryuichi fanatic rushed forward to meet his idol.

"Is that your real reason for coming?" Shuichi muttered under his breath. But he wasn't sure if the question was directed to Tatsuha, or to… Yuki.

"Well, since all of Shuichi's friends are present now, let me show you some of my best works with Shuichi." Akiha smiled and started leading the way to another part of the gallery.

"Let's go, Yuki-san!" Haruko chirped and grabbed Yuki's arm, dragging him after Akiha.

Yuki frowned. He was about to draw back away from the over-enthusiastic girl when…

"Haruko! What are you doing!" Shuichi whispered in horror again as he was sure Yuki would be really mad by now.

"Shu-kun! You'll have to come too!" She reached out for Shuichi with her other hand and pulled him along, so that she was in between the ex-couple.

_Is this girl plain dumb or what? Pulling the two of us so close together…_ Yuki shot a quick glance pass Haruko to Shuichi. _Well, I guess idiots attract idiots._

Both Yuki and Shuichi kept very quiet as they allowed Haruko to pull them along.

The rest of the gang stared at the sight before them, rooted to the spot.

_That girl has no idea what she's doing…_Hiro sighed before walking after Shuichi, Haruko and Yuki, with Ayaka by his side.

"This way please…" Tsuyoshi voice got everyone moving by now.

They stopped in front of a picture of a sleeping Shuichi on a bed full of white feathers. He was lying on his side with his light brown hair falling softly over part of his peaceful face. One hand was held close to his face, while the other was slightly outstretched holding on to some feathers.

"Shuichi looks like… an angel na no da…" Ryuichi quipped thoughtfully.

_Right… that's right… _Yuki agreed silently. He felt a sense of familiarity. How many times had he seen Shuichi like that lying on his bed? How much did he miss this angel-like Shuichi?

"Sakuma-san, you're flattering me too much…" Shuichi blushed and babbled.

For the next few 15 minutes, Yuki found himself looking at many different sides of Shuichi. There was Shuichi looking like a lost puppy, Shuichi with his endearing pout, Shuichi trying his best to look furious with puffed up cheeks, Shuichi smiling and laughing in the sunlight, Shuichi, Shuichi, Shuichi… Every picture shared something in common though… Shuichi was charming in every one of them.

It was almost too much to take… being surrounded by so many pictures of his ex-lover, not to mention that the real Shuichi was so close by too.

"And these are amongst my top favorites!" Akiha pointed to two photographs.

One showed Shuichi blushing and tugging uncomfortably at a pair of EXTREMELY short shorts; the other showed Shuichi with his shirt completely unbuttoned, exposing his bare body, with his pants unbuttoned and unzipped too. Not to mention that he was drenched, causing his clothes to cling onto his body. His hair fell down over part of his face, covering his right eye. And there were water droplets running down his face and the exposed part of his body.

"…"

Everyone sweatdropped again, feeling the chills run down their back at Akiha's comments.

Yuki gritted his teeth in displeasure as everyone else stoned. He didn't like the idea that everyone who came to this exhibition would get to see Shuichi half-naked. _Damn… why are these photos having such an effect on me! _

Truth to be told, those photos had not only pissed him off, it had gotten aroused too as he found himself longing to touch that hot body of Shuichi's again.

On the other hand, Shuichi was shaking uncontrollably in anger. "AKIHA! What have you done! Why are these photos up there! I had no idea of this!"

Akiha grinned slyly. "I just thought that I should share with everyone what a stunning body you have… a body I'm dying to explore…"

Shuichi blushed in anger and embarrassment.

The next moment, Akiha had received a smack on the back of his head. "Shu-kun's mine, you sicko!" Haruko snapped.

Shuichi spun around to face Tsuyoshi. "Why did you let him put those up? You're supposed to stop him from doing anything stupid…"

"I'm sorry… I did try to advice him against it, but he claims to be the experienced photographer, the one who recognizes artistic value well…" Tsuyoshi smiled apologetically.

Meanwhile, Tatsuha was staring at those 2 photos with lust. "Oh my god… Sakuma-san's body will be quite similar to Shuichi's… I can feel the touch of his skin…" He started to bleed from the nose.

"You're sick, Tatsuha! And I'm not Sakuma-san!" Shuichi smacked Tatsuha on the head as well.

"See? There're so many people who's in love with that body of yours… Small, slim and slender, with such smooth and soft skin… The one who gets to devour you first is so lucky!" Akiha continued with his ridiculous, outrageous comments.

"And that person is-" Tatsuha stopped as he was met with Tohma's glare. (Scary…)

Shuichi froze and stiffened. _Shit… Yuki…_

His whole face was burning red by now. The fact that Yuki was there made him so embarrassed and horrified that he truly felt like crying. He didn't want Yuki to see or hear all this. He didn't want Yuki to get the wrong idea…? For some reason, he wanted to yell out to Yuki that Akiha's words were nonsense, that there was no way he would let Akiha touch him. He wanted to cry and run into Yuki's arms for cover. But… that was impossible. They belonged to the past now…

A sharp pain sliced through his heart, so excruciating that he had difficulty breathing. However, he still tried to act as if nothing had happened. "Honestly, Akiha. If you continue any further, I'll wring your neck with my bare hands…"

_Oh shit. Shuichi…_ Akiha sensed that something was seriously wrong. Even though Shuichi acted normally, he wasn't fooled. _Darn… What did I do!_

"Tsuyoshi, Haruko… Would you mind showing our guests the last picture, the one that won the award? I just remembered that Shuichi and I have to go greet some other important guests…" Akiha was all serious by now.

"Go ahead." Tsuyoshi nodded.

"Remember the reception at level 2 after that too. There's food and wine…" Akiha then acknowledge his guests with an apologetic smile. "Excuse us for now. We'll see you guys later." He reached out for Shuichi's hand and led him away.

"What are you doing! Let go of my hand! I can walk on my own!" Shuichi continued arguing with all his might, even though the pain in his chest had not subsided.

Yuki stared after them. _What was that just now? Something was wrong with that brat… Was it because of… me… again…?_

"Here's the picture that won the most coveted prestigious award ever in the world of photography… 'Photo with a Thousand Emotions'. This picture is titled 'Broken Doll', and it was shot with only Akiha and Shuichi present… no other crew. In fact, when Akiha revealed this picture, the whole crew was surprised. Both Akiha and Shuichi did a wonderful job, especially Shuichi. Akiha confessed that he had to force Shuichi to imagine that he would never see his family and friends ever again… just to get Shuichi to exhibit the right mood and expression for this photo. Presenting to you, 'Broken Doll'…" Haruko led the group into a room, where many other people were gathered.

There, hanging on the wall, was a reallylarge, breath-takingpicture of Shuichi. This Shuichi had pink hair, suggesting that this photo was taken quite some time ago. He was lying on his side on crumpled, pure white satin bed sheets, dressed in a pair of white pants, and a loose long-sleeved white shirt, unbuttoned at the top and at the ends of the sleeves. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows. Shuichi's legs were curled up slightly, and his hands were placed close to his face. (Like fetal position but his legs were not bend up so much)

White bandages were wounded many times around Shuichi's arms, from his elbows to his wrists, and around his legs from his knees to his ankles, all wounded quite tightly, creating the impression that he was somehow tied down to the bed, unable to free him from everything. His white clothes had slits and cuts all over them as though Shuichi had been attacked and injured.

A few strands of pink hair fell limply over his eyes, but those heartrending violet orbs could still be seen. Only that at first sight, those violet orbs appear to be staring blankly at nothing… emotionless? Not quite so. If one stared harder and deeper, one could still make out the hurt, pain and helplessness reflected vividly in those eyes. There was no hint of smile, and Shuichi's face looked a little tear-streaked. Overall, one could describe the pink hair model as lifeless, but yet, aggrieved, exhausted, wounded and… broken.

Everyone was silent as the full impact of the picture hit them hard. It was breath-taking, though painful to look at. Even Akiha's other guest whispered quietly to each other, as though a single word spoken aloud would break the vulnerable boy portrayed in the photograph.

"Eiri-san, are you okay?" Tohma stepped up beside Yuki and asked softly.

It was only then did Yuki realize that he had been staring at the picture for the past few minutes, rooted to the spot, holding his breath. This sight was all too familiar again.

Shuichi… broken… lying on the couch, looking broken… that last night before they parted.

He felt an aching pain in his chest. He felt sick. Unable to speak, he tore his eyes away from the picture, turned and strode out of the room, towards the main hall.

Hiro eyed the novelist leaving the room looking a little pale. _Now I know why Shuichi didn't really like this picture. I bet it reminded him of the past everytime he looked at it._

He turned back to the picture titled 'Broken Doll'.

_No wonder it had won the award… On top of its beauty and awe, the picture had an extraordinary factor to it: anybody would feel pained just looking at it._

**…tbc…**

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End of chapter 6! Sorry, I couldn't squeeze Shuichi's POV in this chapter… But it's in the next chapter… so remember to read on! 

I tried my very best to describe 'Broken Doll'… argh… maybe it still didn't turn out well as my vocabulary is so limited. Sigh… I guess what's important is that the impression of Shuichi being tied down in the picture is like he's unable to free himself from the hurt and pain, from his love for Yuki…


	7. At the Balcony

**Thanks for all the reviews! So glad that the description of 'Broken Doll' turned out fine. And yup… my fanfic is quite anime-ish/manga-ish. In fact, I picture it as it would happen in the anime and try to describe what I see. But writing inner thoughts are more manga-ish. Haha!**

**Hope everyone had a great Christmas… and...**

**Happy New Year!**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

MOU ICHI DO **

**Chapter 7 --- At the Balcony**

(Reception area, level 2)

Tanaka Miyabi flicked her hair back over her shoulders, as she fiddled with her lighter in her other hand. Flicking it on and off, she watched the bright orange flame appear and disappear.

_Damn! This whole event is so boring. The exhibition showed photos of a silly, immature boy with nothing special, and yet so many special guests had turned up. Famous people in the media and art industry have all been invited. Why did I even come? Oh yeah… because that stupid editor of mine wanted me to meet more people to widen my social network. Ridiculous._

Just then, she noticed a guy dressed smartly in a suit walking up towards her, smiling flirtatiously at the same time.

_Another brainless idiot who wants to try bed me. _But to keep up appearances, she forced herself to smile and started chatting with the guy.

Five minutes had passed when something caught the corner of her eye. Or rather, someone. There he was... this tall blond guy with a superior air about him that could charm every woman in his way.

_Yuki Eiri…_ Miyabi tightened her grip on her glass of wine. _That bastard hypocrite. Let's see... This may be just the perfect time._

She excused herself from the guy she was currently talking to.

_The perfect time to hook up with him… and then destroy him from the inside. As they always say, know your enemy well in order to destroy him completely._

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

Shuichi took in a deep breath. The night air was so cooling and refreshing that it had calmed him down after the incident at the gallery downstairs. Akiha had led him straight to the reception area and left him at the balcony, while he attended to some guests.

_Argh. That was horrible. I hoped that nobody noticed the change in me, especially not Yuki._ Shuichi closed his eyes and felt the cool air caressing his face. _Yuki… I can't believe he actually came. Just like the time he turned up for Bad Luck's debut live performance._

He crossed his arms and rested them on the balcony railing, lowering his face onto his arms. _I'm such a failure… remembering this now…_

"Shuichi… are you feeling better?"

Shuichi lifted his head and found Akiha smiling at him. He returned a small, weak smile. "Yeah. I'm fine now."

Akiha rested his arms on the railing too. He looked up at the sky.

"It's a beautiful night. There're so many stars…"

Shuichi rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me you're going to say something stupid again."

Akiha chuckled, but stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry about that earlier. I went too far."

Shuichi perked up at Akiha's serious tone. He turned to study Akiha's face.

_He's serious now…_

"Forget it. I know that you're just teasing me." Shuichi sighed and shivered.

"Here." Akiha wrapped his coat around the young model. "I can't afford to let you fall sick. You're my important model."

Silence reigned for the next few minutes.

"You know, I've always wanted to ask you this. Why do you keep doing that?" Shuichi asked softly, staring out at the night sky.

"Doing what?"

"All those… weird stuff! Like saying all those embarrassing, perverted stuff…"

Akiha smiled, staring out too. "…Because I like you."

Shuichi sighed again and turned around, leaning back against the railing this time. "You're doing it again. Stop-"

He lost his voice as he stared into the main reception area where the guests were gathered and refreshments were being served. (Food: buffet style) But his eyes were focused only on one single person.

_Yuki…_

The blond novelist was currently busy attending to a beautiful and somewhat familiar woman, with dark green hair, and who had her hands all over him.

_They look really cozy…_

A familiar feeling crept through Shuichi, one that he had been experiencing constantly for the past year. No… for as long as he remembered.

Hurt. Overwhelming pain that numbed his whole body.

Akiha, puzzled at Shuichi's sudden silence, trailed Shuichi's gaze to… Yuki Eiri.

"Stop saying that… How can you say those stuff about liking me so easily? Why? There's nothing in me that can make someone love me, or even like me. If there is… I wouldn't be in this situation now. So, stop lying. Stop saying all those irresponsible stuff. What's so nice about me anyway? What's so nice about me that make you say that you like me!" Shuichi's voice cracked as he lost his composure. He brought a hand to his forehead. _Oh no… it's happening again. I'm going to do it again… break down and cry. But I can't do it here! I can't! I can't!_

"You're special, Shuichi…"

Shuichi snapped up at Akiha's quiet voice. He met Akiha's gaze as the photographer turned to him.

"There are times where you're so beautiful that I can't help teasing you, passing some 'hot' remarks at you…" Akiha paused for a moment before continuing: "Yet there are times where you're so vulnerable that you look like you need someone to hug you close…" He pulled Shuichi into his arms, and whispered: "…Just like now… that's what makes you hard to resist."

A small strangled sob escaped from Shuichi. He wrapped his arms tightly around Akiha, struggling to find some comfort and warmth. He would not allow himself to cry now. No, he would not.

They held each other in a comfortable silence for some time before Akiha spoke again.

"But honestly, I'm not lying about you having a beautiful body…" Akiha grinned knowingly. "I guess the lucky one who gets to confirm that is Yuki-san, right?"

Shuichi stiffened and hugged Akiha closer. The wound in his heart only got deeper.

"How evil… talking like that…" Shuichi murmured into Akiha's chest. "You know about my past… about Yuki. Yet you still tease me so badly right in front of my friends, right in front of Yuki. And you do it on purpose…" Shuichi closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Akiha.

_Right… Akiha has a clear idea of what my past was like. Everything about Bad Luck and Yuki and etc, etc, etc. Tsuyoshi knows too. But only Akiha has all the details. I remember the first time we met… after stumbling into his photo shoot by accident, Akiha had pulled me out for dinner with him alone and invited me to be his model. Then, he had cleverly led me to spill the beans about my past. And I had cried and cried and clung onto him while talking about Yuki. How embarrassing it must have been… but Akiha had held me close until my tears ran out. _

_After that day, we began working together and grew closer. I even live in the apartment next to his in America. Jun was already part of the crew then, but I was only introduced to Tsuyoshi much later, when I started growing popular as a model. Tsuyoshi's a quiet guy, but he's also very sharp and observant. Over time, he was able to pick up clues and developed an idea about my past. And Haruko… I met her through Tsuyoshi. She's pretty, fun and caring… so full of sunshine. It was under Akiha's and Tsuyoshi's encouragement that I began dating her. Soon, we were known as a couple…_

_But unlike Akiha, Haruko has no inkling about my relationship with Yuki at all. She thinks that those reports about me and Yuki are lies. And I also lied to her that I quitted singing because something horrible happened during my career as a singer, and I can't get over that psychological barrier to sing again. _

_Maybe that's the reason why…_

_Even though Haruko's my girlfriend, to me… Akiha is an important and much more special existence. _

_But I don't think it's THAT kind of special existence…_

_THAT kind of special existence that I once had the chance to cherish…_

_Yuki…_

Shuichi pulled away from Akiha.

"I've never said that I'm nice…" Akiha kissed Shuichi's forehead lightly.

"Idiot…" The model cracked a small smile.

Akiha smirked mischievously. "Don't forget you still owe me 2 nude photos…" He breathed sexily into Shuichi's ear.

Shuichi blushed all RED and glared at Akiha in disgust. "No way am I gonna undress in front of the camera and in front of a pervert like you! Go to hell!"

"Tsk. But you promised at that time you needed a favor from me…you lying brat."

"…" Shuichi turned away in a huff. "I only said 'maybe'. I didn't promise you anything. PERVERT."

They never noticed that a pair of startling golden eyes had been watching them as they hugged and kissed and blushed.

"Akiha! Shuichi!" Tsuyoshi called out as he approached the two.

"Yo." Akiha raised his arm slightly and waved.

Tsuyoshi rolled his eyes. "The two main hosts abandoning the party?"

"Well, you know that I've never really liked entertaining people. Besides, out of those people who came, I bet half of them don't understand art." Akiha pouted intentionally.

"But still, these are the rules of the game." Tsuyoshi pulled out a cigarette and lighted it.

"Hmph. I could care less… besides, I'd rather spend time alone with my boyfriend." Akiha draped one arm over Shuichi's shoulders.

Shuichi snorted. He shrugged and pushed Akiha's arm away, threw Akiha's jacket back to him and started in the direction back in. "I'm going back in. You guys can have fun."

Shuichi never knew that the same pair of golden eyes earlier followed him in, before glancing away.

Akiha and Tsuyoshi watched as Shuichi disappeared into the crowd.

"You do know that you said too much just now, right? You should watch that mouth of yours." Tsuyoshi took a drag on his cigarette.

Akiha sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I got carried away. Stupid me. But judging by Shuichi's reaction, it's obvious that he still feels something for that guy. Maybe it's a bad time to come back…"

"Hopefully, his trip back wouldn't add on to Shuichi's wounds… maybe everything can be settled once and for all."

They were silent for the next moment, before Tsuyoshi started speaking again. "You know? I've always been surprised that you decided to make Shuichi your model. I mean, you've always emphasized that people who aren't true to their feelings wouldn't stand out in front of the lens 'cos photography is an art of expression. But Shuichi's struggling so hard to hide the real him, to hide his heart. Although he's hurting, he forces himself to smile."

Akiha gave a low chuckle. "You're right. That's why I always take the effort to sheer him up and get him into the right mood before any assignment, especially those that require him to be happy. I need to make sure that his smile reaches his eyes… isn't that so?"

"But why go to that extra trouble? I'm sure you can find some other model."

Akiha rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The first time that I met Shuichi… I already thought he had a pretty face. And when he cried and poured out everything about his past? The first thing that came into my mind was how rare he was. His straightforwardness, his innocence, his naivety, his unconditional love and sacrifice for someone who didn't know how to treasure him, his courage to love someone whom he's forbidden to do so. Maybe I was just selfish… but I really wanted to keep him by my side. Someone so true like him is hard to come by…"

Akiha frowned hard before continuing. He smirked. "Or maybe, you could say that I'm attracted to tragic beauties and broken dolls…" He started heading in. "You'd better come along too, manager. Don't leave the job of entertaining those people to Shuichi and me alone!"

Tsuyoshi sighed before putting out his cigarette. "Asshole."

**xXx To be continued soon xXx

* * *

**

**This is a short chapter… I know… but I've already written the next chapter, so I'll type it out as soon as I find time to do so and put it up soon! I promise to do it before New Year…**

**Anyway, hope this chapter shed some light on the relationships between Shu and Akiha, Shu and Haruko, Shu and Yuki.**

**Next up: you'll see Yuki and Shuichi talk for a while, and I think you'll feel very sad for Shuichi… it's quite angsty.**

**And the next next chapter will center on Yuki, I guess. Yuki's POV, Yuki and Miyabi, Yuki and Atsushi… etc. School's going tostart soon, so I'm trying to write all I can before I have no time! Hee… Oh yeah... I must make time for my other fanfics too!**


	8. This Pain in My Heart

**Here's the continuation to the reception part of the story. So glad that this fanfic is working out fine…**

**And ****t.A.M.a-Aki-KaeRi**** – san, you're really worried about YukiAtsushi and YukiShu eh? (smiles) I can't promise not to make their relationship go any further. I mean… they're already sleeping together. How much further can they go? But I can tell you for sure that they won't get married (haha!) and they will not live together in the same apartment. Is that ok? Cos well, this fic is supposed to be angsty, that's why I came up with YukiAtsushi. Hee…**

**Oh… I'll try to write and explain any other the technical/practical parts of this story… like how I came up with an explanation as to why Haruko and Jun doesn't know about YukiShu though it was big news in Japan… anything else that is missing and leaves you wondering, tell me! It's hard to figure these out though… argh…**

**Japanese notes: (1)daijoubu: Are you okay?**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 8 --- This Pain in My Heart**

The blond novelist drowned his glass of wine in one shot.

"Eiri-san, I need to use the bathroom. Wait for me, my dear… 'cos we'll shall go somewhere else and have fun… ok?" Miyabi winked flirtatiously before waltzing off.

Yuki didn't even bother listening to her as he roamed his eyes through the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star of this event… the now famous model, Shindou Shuichi. He had lost sight of the model after watching the photographer kiss Shuichi, AND then whispering something into Shuichi's ear that caused the boy to blush so red. (Yuki didn't see that Shuichi was trying hard not to cry as Shuichi was facing the other side – out the balcony – when he was hugging Akiha.)

_So he acts so lovingly with his photographer as well… as guy. What the heck! And I thought that he came back wit only a girlfriend. It seems to me that he has a boyfriend too! What a fickle brat! And he used to dare to proclaim that he loved me so deeply… that his love for me will never change… What a bunch of lies. I'm glad that I didn't believe him back then. Not even a single bit. Damn. What am I getting so worked up for? I'm such an idiot…_

He tightened his grip on his empty wine glass and headed towards the table to pick up another glass of liquor. As he turned around with a new, half-filled glass in his hand, he bumped into someone's back, almost spilling his liquor in the process.

Just when he was about to open his mouth to say sorry, he found a pair of startling violet eyes gazing up at him. The same pair of violet eyes that he had seen everywhere in the gallery just now. The same pair of violet eyes that had looked so sad and forlorn in 'Broken Doll'.

That pair of violet eyes widened a little in surprise as its owner registered who it was looking at presently.

"Yuki…? Are you okay?" Shuichi asked tentatively.

Yuki kept silent and concentrated on devouring his liquor. But when he noted that Shuichi's eyes were still on him, he shot a quick glance at Shuichi.

"Of course I'm fine." Yuki replied curtly.

Shuichi looked away and nodded slightly.

"Er… thanks for turning up for this exhibition…"

Yuki could hardly hear Shuichi's soft murmur, but he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the boy once again. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, say anything, or to even ask about 'Broken Doll'… but Shuichi's next words made him clamp his mouth shut immediately.

"I'm so sorry about Haruko's rash actions earlier… dragging you around and all. And er… ignore Akiha's words… He's always so full of nonsense, even though he can be really serious and reliable at times. But really, thanks for coming…"

"Are you stupid or what? There's no need to thank me. I only came because that asshole Tatsuha dragged me here forcefully. Did you actually think that I'm that free? The only reason why I haven't left is because I'm waiting for my partner for tonight." Yuki's careless, poisoned words sliced deeply into Shuichi's heart.

Shuichi's face fell. He kept quiet for a second, only to reply with a soft "Oh…" later. He bit the inside of his lower lip to stop himself from losing his composure. "I'm sorry…"

At this moment, Miyabi appeared back beside Yuki, hooked her arm around his, kissed the corner of his lips, and then whispered something into his ear.

Yuki looked sideways at Miyabi before smirking. "Whatever."

Shuichi bit harder onto the onside of his lower lip.

It was only then did Miyabi notice the presence of Shuichi.

"Shindou-san?" She replaced her surprise with her trademark 'I'm only smiling on the outside and not the inside' smile. "Congratulations on the successful launch! I love the photographs. You looked really great in all of them!"

Shuichi returned a weak, forced smile. "Thanks. I-"

"Ah! Shindou-san, there you are! Come on! Come with me up to the stage!" A stranger appeared next to Shuichi, grabbed his hand and started pulling him away.

"Eh? What? Huh?" Shuichi blinked numerous times, trying to comprehend what was happening.

The man pulled Shuichi up the small stage that was set up at one side of the reception hall. He grabbed a mic with his other hand and started speaking.

"Hey, everyone! Give us your attention here! I'm Watanabe Hikaru, host of the variety show, 'Let's Go!'. Firstly, let us congratulate Shindou-san, who's right here beside me, for his success as a model!"

A large round of applause was heard, coupled with cheers from Ryuichi, Hiro, and K. Shuichi was still stunned and confused.

"My, my! Didn't everyone get a shock learning that the once famous lead singer of Bad Luck returned as a promising model? Haha! Well, seeing that this is a special occasion and that everyone is present, let's have Shindou-san resume his identity as a singer for a while and present us with a song! The debut song of Bad Luck, 'The Rage Beat'! Shindou-san…!"

Watanabe Hikaru handed the mic over to Shuichi, who was completely frozen in shock by now, before leaving the stage.

Everyone applauded and some even screamed.

"Shuichi is going to sing again! YEAH!" Ryuichi screamed and bounced rapidly in excitement. Tatsuha joined in a moment later.

"Go, Shuichi!" K shouted and punched a fist into the air.

Sakano, Suguru, Ayaka… and almost everyone else in the hall waited in anticipation as the music started.

"…Shuichi?" Hiro whispered to no one in particular.

Tohma frowned.

The music continued playing. The problem was… the cue to start singing had long passed, but Shuichi did not make any move to sing at all. He was rooted to the same spot, looking extremely terrified and pale, gripping the mic tightly with both hands.

_Song? Sing? I… What?_ Shuichi's mind had been in a whirl when he heard what Watanabe Hikaru had announced.

But when Shuichi realized that he was holding a mic and 'The Rage Beat' was being played, his mind went completely blank. He stared in fear at the object in his hands and gripped it more tightly by the minute, till his knuckles turned white. He felt everyone's eyes on him and broke out in cold sweat. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.

Even though the music continued playing, it hardly registered in his mind. In fact, all he could hear was… nothing. Silence. Deafening silence.

At this rate, he might go crazy or faint soon. Just as he was about to cup his hands over his ears and scream, the music stopped and someone snatched the mic away.

"I'm so sorry, everyone. Shuichi is now my important model. I'm not prepared to let him return to his old profession. Besides, after such a long period of time, you can't expect him to sing unprepared. Please forgive us…"

_Akiha…_

A soft murmur could be heard amongst the crowd as they nodded in understanding.

Akiha turned to Shuichi. "Come on, let's get down from here…" He took Shuichi's hand gently and led him offstage.

"Shu-kun! Daijoubu(1)?" Haruko asked anxiously.

Slowly, Shuichi began to calm down. But he saw something that made breathing strangely painful again. Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed a blond guy leaving the hall with his arm wrapped around a woman's waist.

Shuichi grabbed Akiha's arm pleadingly. "I wanna go back and rest…"

Akiha looked down at his model worriedly.

"I'll take him. Akiha, you need to continue to attend to the guests. Haruko and Jun, help Akiha." Tsuyoshi then patted Shuichi on the head. "Let's go."

"Shu-kun, take care. I'll go see you later, or if you're sleeping, in the morning…" Haruko squeezed Shuichi's hand gently, hoping to comfort him.

Shuichi nodded mutely and followed Tsuyoshi, heading for the exit.

"Something really bad must have happened in the past to make Shuichi this afraid of singing eh?" Haruko muttered softly, still extremely concerned and worried. "I wonder what is it…"

"Shuichi! Daijoubu?" Hiro had somehow made his way to Shuichi.

Shuichi stared at Hiro for a few seconds before smiling, happy at his friend's concern for him. "I'm fine. I'm just going back to rest now. Help me thank everyone who came… see you another day!"

When he saw that Hiro was still extremely worried, he sighed. "Hiro… I'm not going to feel any better if you're upset because of me. Don't worry! I'll give you a call soon, okay?"

Hiro had no choice but to nod.

"See you!" Shuichi smiled again and left with Tsuyoshi.

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

Back at the hotel, Shuichi flopped down onto the bed, arms covering his eyes.

His mind flashed back to what had happened just now… the stage, the mic, the music, the eyes on him… and the time he opened his mouth but no sound came out.

He moved one hand down, away from his eyes, and held his throat.

_Yuki…_

"_Are you stupid or what? There's no need to thank me. I only came because that asshole Tatsuha dragged me here forcefully. Did you actually think that I'm that free? The only reason why I haven't left is because I'm waiting for my partner for tonight."_

Yuki's words stabbed into his mind again.

_Why…_

_Why are you always this cruel?_

He crawled off the bad to the safebox provided by the hotel for tourists to store their passports and valuables. Kneeling in front of the safe, he unlocked it and carefully removed a rectangular box from it.

He removed the lid of the box and took out a few pieces of paper. On them were song lyrics that he had written in the past. All those lyrics that Yuki had criticized badly before.

Next, he lifted up his old mobile phone, turned it to the back, where more than ten neoprints of him and Yuki were stuck. He ran his fingers over them and smiled softly.

His eyes rested on the last item in the box.

It was a white envelope, addressed to Yuki with his address on it, complete with an American stamp and the word "Airmail".

_Ah… this was what I accidentally kept with me. And I had wanted to return it through overseas mail when I was in America…_

He opened the envelope and overturned it, causing the contents to slip onto his opened palm.

It was cold and hard and had lost part of its lustre.

Shuichi stared at it for some time.

"What did I come back for? I'm only getting myself hurt again…" He whispered, clasped the content of the envelope in his fist and brought it over his heart, his other hand on the tightened fist. "This pain in my heart just won't go away…"

And then he finally broke down completely, allowing himself to cry freely…

Still holding on tightly to the key to Yuki's apartment…

The key that he had once rightfully owned.

**xXx TBC xXx

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**

So how's this chapter? I felt so bad/guilty making Yuki say those harsh words to Shuichi. Ahhh! Sob… I'm so sorry, Shu-chan! Don't worry, we all know that Yuki loves you a lot thought he doesn't show it… hee…

Ok! Hopefully I can get the next chapter up before New Year. Wonder if I can do it… hmm… I know the outline for the next few chapters, but may have problem continuing after that. Oh well, one step at a time! Cya!


	9. Upcoming Storm

**Ok… this chapter focuses on Yuki… mainly. Thanks to Emma-san, who reminded me that I have to explain YukiAtsushi a little. Hee… and please pardon me for my poor command of the English language. My English is only passable at most… I get confused with the tenses as well! And my vocabulary sucks! I've long passed the stage of my life where I have to attend English lessons… well, actually it has only been a year (But I still shudder at the thought of having to attend the class taught by THAT teacher of mine. She's terrifying… so unpredictable and sarcastic and mean). I'm starting to forget all the 'rules' and such. Erm… I've never been really good at it from the beginning though. And I'm so adept at using the English language in any way I like: speaking in weird broken English blah blah blah… haha… I'm horrible.**

**So please ignore and grammatical/verb tenses/etc/etc/etc errors! Thanks! I know some parts sound weird, but even after changing it here and there… they still sound just as weird. (Sighs and deflates…) **

**Notes: (1) Nani :What (2) onegaishimasu: please**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 9 – Upcoming Storm**

"Well then, Eiri-san, I'm leaving now…" Miyabi called out to the novelist in the kitchen as she held the door open.

There was no response.

"Bye. And thanks for a wonderful night…" She smirked and left.

_My, my… He's such a jerk. But then, I have to admit that he's excellent in bed._ She pressed the button for the lift and narrowed her eyes. _Too bad you had to be a novelist, Yuki Eiri. If you aren't one, I wouldn't mind being with you. But since you are… I have to get rid of you. Only that way would I be able to claim the no.1 spot as a romance novelist. You don't deserve that title at all. The only reason why you're so popular is because of your looks…_

The lift doors open and Miyabi was ready to step in when a man stepped out. He had on a long black coat and wore sunglasses.

_Hmm… Weird…_ Miyabi stepped into the lift as the guy passed her. _Wait. Maybe…_

Her curiosity got the better of her and she peeked out quietly, just in time to see the guy unlocking a door with a key.

The door to Yuki Eiri's apartment.

The sides of her mouth curled up into a dangerous, sly smile.

"This is going to be interesting…"

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

_Was I too harsh yesterday? I seemed to have hurt him again…_ Yuki was sitting front of his laptop tapping a key mindlessly. _What did I do? …Shuichi… _

He thought of the brat's girlfriend.

_Haruko, eh? How apt… 'haru' equals spring, while 'yuki' equals snow, which represents winter. _

His eyes softened.

_I guess he's better off with spring… _

_Besides, there was something wrong with that brat. He used to sing so well, so naturally… yet last night, it was as if he had lost his voice… and he looked like he was going to faint…_

Yuki frowned, perplexed.

"Eiri-san?"

Yuki jumped at the sudden intruding voice and swiveled his chair around to face the man standing at the door.

_I swear… he moves as quietly as a ghost sometimes…  
_

"What the heck are you doing here so early in the morning!" Yuki snapped as he tried to conceal his surprise.

Atsushi smiled and presented a box through the opened study room door. "I bought you some cakes."

"…" Yuki turned back to his laptop. "Just for that?"

"Well… aren't you going to eat some? After all the trouble I went through… And besides, don't you need to replenish your energy after having fun with that lady last night?"

Yuki continued staring at the screen of the laptop, while Atsushi hovered at the door.

**_Flashback: _**

A small pink fluffy head popped in through the doorway.

"Yukiiiiiiii! You need to get away from that evil laptop some time! You need to eat and sleep and bathe and watch TV and spend time with meeee!"

"…"

"Ok! You don't need to spend time with me, but please at least eat something! I can't bear to see you falling sick! Please! Yukiiiiiiii!"

_**End of flashback.**_

_Why am I remembering such things now?_ Yuki sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Just leave it outside. I'll go out later." _Once my mind has settled down…_

"Ok then." Atsushi smiled and left for the living room.

Yuki sighed again, this time inwardly. _Atsushi can be such a nag sometimes… Why did I even let him have the key to this apartment?_

Yuki leaned back in his chair. _More importantly, why did I even let another guy come close to me? The numerous women… he understood. But a guy!_

He remembered the time when he first met Atsushi. He was at a bar drinking quietly, already a little tipsy:

_**Flashback:**_

_Darn… this is getting boring. Let me just find a woman to fuck tonight and go home…_

He scanned the area, trying hard to focus. All of a sudden, someone came up beside him, and leaned over the bar-top, blocking his view. The guy was quite fair and slender and tall, with black hair. He had his eyes closed, as if he was trying to sleep.

"Hey…" The guy whispered quietly.

Yuki's eyebrows lifted in surprise. _A stranger trying to talk to him?_

"Do you wanna go have some fun together?" The guy had his eyes closed still.

"…" Yuki looked away from him and drowned his beer. "Are you talking to me? If you are, take your homosexual ways somewhere else. I'm not interested."

_Shit. If I drink anymore, I don't think I'll be able to drive home. I'm getting really tipsy by now. Maybe I should call Seguchi…_

The guy smiled a little. "But it's more interesting and fun this way… Are you sure you don't want me?"

Yuki frowned in irritation. "How many times do I have to say this! I said-"

Frustrated and agitated, Yuki stood up and turned to face the guy, ready to lash out his fearsome verbal attacks, when he was met with a pair of somewhat familiar eyes.

Deep, clear, shining, beautiful, big violet eyes.

"Shuichi…" Yuki gasped softly, before he wobbled unsteadily. He leaned against the bar-counter for support.

"Come… I'll take you home…" The guy reached out and held Yuki's arm gently, looking directly into Yuki's golden eyes through the lightly tinted sunglasses the writer had on.

Yuki stared hard at those violet orbs. Finally, after some time, he closed his eyes and smirked. "Fine… Let's go."

He did not bring home any woman that night. Instead, he slept with a guy… Suzuki Atsushi.

It was supposed to be just a 'one-night-stand', like what he did with all the other women he had brought home. But Atsushi kept coming back for some reason he didn't understand and didn't bother to try to understand at all. Gradually, Atsushi became a regular sleeping partner, someone who had the key to his apartment. And soon, Mika and Tohma began nagging constantly at him about this matter...

_**End of flashback.**_

_So… he got himself involved with another guy just because of that pair of violet eyes? How stupid... _Yuki slapped a hand to his forehead.

Another image flashed into his mind abruptly. Those violet eyes looking so dead, so pained, and so lonely… those eyes in 'Broken Doll'.

_Not again… _Yuki grimaced as the image continued haunting his mind.

_**Flashback: **_

"Yuki… do you love me?"

"…"

"Do you like me then?"

"…"

"Just a little?"

"…"

"A tiny, tiny, tiny bit?"

"Don't you get tired of asking that? What do you want me to say?"

The baka's face fell and his purple eyes clouded with unshed tears. "Nevermind…"

_**End of flashback.**_

_Damn. What's happening to me? Why am I getting these flashbacks now?_

He groaned.

_That's because that brat is back._

_But the difference between Shuichi and Atsushi is so glaring. Shuichi needed lots of love and attention. He was stupid and clingy and overly sensitive, crying over the tiniest thing. Most importantly, he needed to hear those words - "I love you", and he needed lots of commitment._

_On the other hand, Atsushi did not need all of these. He had never asked me if I loved him and he didn't need me to commit myself to him solely. He didn't mind if I slept with a different women every night. He didn't need much attention. And he never took my uncaring, hurting words seriously. It's simple being with Atsushi…_

Yuki got up and left the room, heading for the bathroom, desperately needing a cold shower to calm his disturbed mind.

**xxXxXxXxx**

Half an hour later, Yuki was seated in front of the TV, devouring his cakes, while Atsushi continued gliding round the kitchen.

"Oh yeah… Something interesting happened today at the shop I bought those cakes from…" Atsushi began.

But Yuki continued staring absentmindedly at the TV screen, ignoring Atsushi completely.

"I bumped into Shindou Shuichi…"

Yuki's ears perked up at this. "What?"

Atsushi chuckled in amusement. "Shindou-san is really cute ne? When I stepped into the shop, he was kneeling down in front of the counter, peering hard through the glass at all the cakes, frowning and mumbling incoherently to himself. It seemed like he had a hard time deciding what to buy…"

_That sounds like what that baka would do…_

"So… did you…"

Atsushi turned around to face Yuki. "Yup. I went up to him and introduced myself. He remembered me from that time in the park though…"

"Oh." _So they're acquainted now…_

"He looked extremely tired though… and pale… it must be due to his job…"

Worry starting making its way into Yuki's heart.

"But anyway, I started advising him on which cake to buy. It was strange and awkward but we ended up discussing that for 20 minutes, before he finally decided on blueberry. But when he reached the cashier and had to pay up… he realized that he had forgotten to bring enough money!" Atsushi was laughing harder in amusement by now. "So I lent him some… ah… Shindou-san is really a cute and interesting and funny guy!"

"Baka…" Yuki rolled his eyes. _That is really a stupid act that only he can perform…_

Yuki almost smiled thinking that.

"Hmm… but I noticed that he had violet eyes like me…" Atsushi frowned thoughtfully. "His eyes are beautiful… but they look somewhat sad too…"

Yuki stiffened at that.

_I wonder… No… I'm quite sure that Atsushi knows that the relationship between Shuichi and me was real in the past… even though he doesn't mention anything about it. He's a sharp guy…_

"Well, I need to go now. I've got some matters to attend to. But Eiri-san, I've bought some groceries and snacks so you won't have any trouble settling your meals today and tomorrow… take care of yourself. Don't forget to close all the windows. It's going to get really stormy by then." Atsushi picked

"…" Yuki blinked blankly. "Huh? Storm?"

Atsushi sighed. "Just as I suspected. You don't know anything about it? It was on the weather report. Tokyo is going to be hit by a slight typhoon later in the afternoon… it shouldn't be anything serious since, fortunately, it's not one of those strong typhoons. There'll just be strong winds and heavy rain... stormy weather, that is. So, you'll have to stay indoors for today. I wished that I could accompany you, but I can't…"

"Right. Just leave already…" Yuki turned back to the TV.

"Ok then. Jaa…"

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

It was early afternoon. Shuichi sighed as he sat in the park, drinking soda and watching people pass by.

He recalled his meeting with Atsushi this morning.

_So the name of Yuki's lover is Suzuki Atsushi…_

_I really got a shock when he came up to me… I had been debating with myself which cake to buy… speaking aloud and such. God… it was so embarrassing. I felt like dying… _

_But honestly, he is quite pretty… tall, slender, fair… and he's so polite, friendly and mature… so different from me…_

_I remember the first time I saw him… he was making out with Yuki… _

Shuichi shook his head rapidly in order to clear his thoughts.

_I shouldn't be thinking such things…_

He looked around the park.

_This is pathetic… _He brought a hand up to his forehead. _I cried so much last night that my eyes became so swollen. Then in order to avoid Haruko and the others, I left the hotel early in the morning, leaving a note saying that I'm going to visit my family and maybe sleepover there tonight. Well, I did go visit them with cakes earlier, but…_

He cringed as he recalled the endless bombardment of questions from his mum and his sister, Maiko.

_There's no way I'm staying there… I don't think I'll survive._

_And it's lucky they believed me when I told them the reason why my eyes were swollen was because I was too busy with work to get a good sleep…_

Shuichi sighed, frustrated. "What do I do now! I don't feel like returning to the hotel yet… I don't want to have to deal with Akiha and his stupid antics… Maybe I should call Hiro… but he'll just start asking me about last night. Maybe I should ask K out… but I don't want to get shot by him. Maybe I should look for Sakuma-san… but I'll just be dragged around by him and Tatsuha will most likely come after me…"

He sighed for the third time, and hung his head low.

"Shindou-san?"

Shuichi snapped his head up. A familiar woman with short and straight brown hair was standing before him, smiling politely.

"Mizuki-san?" Shuichi frowned. "How did you know it was me?"

Mizuki, Yuki's editor, laughed quietly. "Well, you were talking so loudly to yourself, and I heard some familiar names like 'Hiro' and 'Tatsuha'. On closer look, I realized that it was you."

"Was… was I really that loud?" Shuichi asked innocently.

"Yup…"

"Oh…" Shuichi blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry…"

"I heard that you were coming back as a Sakurai Akiha's model for the exhibition held at Sense Gallery, but I didn't expect to meet you here. What are you doing here alone?" Mizuki took a seat beside Shuichi on the bench.

"Well… I went to visit my family earlier and now I have nothing to do…What about you, Mizuki-san?"

"I'm rushing to Yuki-sensei's house to pass him some of his drafts that needs some changes."

Shuichi fidgeted uncomfortably when he heard Yuki's name.

"Anyway, I heard the exhibition is coming along fine and many have been swarming to have a look. Although I haven't been to the exhibition yet, I'll be sure to go! I'm sure all the photographs of you are beautiful…" Mizuki smiled brightly.

Shuichi blushed again. "Ah… no… they're nothing really special. But thanks for your compliment."

At this point in time, Mizuki's mobile phone rang.

"Sorry. Excuse me for a moment."

Shuichi nodded and watched as Mizuki spoke to the person on the other line.

"Eh! Nani(1)!" Mizuki cried out in shock. "But I've got something on!" She looked really aggravated. "Ok then. I'll be right back. Don't do anything. Wait for me. Bye!"

Shuichi jumped back as Mizuki whirled around to face him, her eyes pleading with tears. He felt something ominous coming up.

"Shindou-san, I know that it's too much to ask you to do me this favor, but I really need to rush back home as an urgent matter has cropped up. Would you help me deliver this to Yuki-sensei, please? Onegaishimasu(2)!"

"Eh!" Shuichi froze on the spot.

"Please! This is a matter of life and death! And I really need to get this draft to Yuki-sensei by today too!" Mizuki was begging desperately by now, on the verge of tears.

There was no choice but to accept it.

Well, I just have to pass it to him and leave immediately… right?

"Ok then…" Shuichi agreed. He didn't know what he had got himself into.

Mizuki brightened in a flash.

"Thanks a million! It's still that same old apartment." She passed a brown envelope to Shuichi. "Oh! But Shindou-san, you should get there quick and return to your hotel right after that. Don't stay outdoors any longer."

"Huh?" Shuichi was totally puzzled.

"Don't you know?" Mizuki's voice was tinged with surprise. "There's going to be a slight typhoon hitting town later. The weather is going to get quite stormy… But luckily it's just a slight one, not those powerful, destructive types. So, just stay indoors and you'll be fine."

"Oh, okay…"

"I've got to go now. Thanks so much for your help! Bye!" She waved and walked off hastily.

Shuichi stared at the brown envelope in his hands.

"I guess I have no choice but to go visit Yuki… before the storm hits…" He sighed once again and started in the direction of Yuki's apartment. There were butterflies in his stomach.

_I hope nothing bad happens…_

**xXx TBC xXx

* * *

**

Ok… I hope that YukiAtsushi won't appear to be that weird now. Violet eyes… haha! It's kinda funny.

Argh…

And the typhoon? Notice that I kept emphasizing that it's only a SMALL one? Well, I'm not very familiar with typhoons… but I know some can be extremely destructive. But this typhoon in my story is only one characterized by continuous heavy rain and FAIRLY strong winds. Nothing really destructive. Just a normal thunderstorm. Maybe the city will be a little flooded, but the water level won't rise to such a high level that it'll cause people to drown.

Just keep that in mind…

Next chapter: YukiShu. At last! I love writing YukiShu parts! (madly waves YukixShuichi love love banner)


	10. Stuck with You

**Once again, thanks for all the reviews! They keep me going! (smiles…) Hmm… if you don't really have anything to say over time, you can just drop me a review that says "update soon", and I'll get the message. Heehee… Love ya guys!**

**Anyway, I've just started school again, so might be kinda busy. But I'll try my best to update regularly.**

**Here you go… the latest chapter:**

**Notes: (1)oyasumi: good night**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 10 --- Stuck with you**

Shuichi walked in the direction of Yuki's apartment, frowning at the big brown envelope in his hands. The sky was overcast and the wind was picking up fast, and all around, people were hurrying to get home.

It was evident that a storm was about to arrive soon.

_I had better get this to Yuki fast… or I'll get caught in the typhoon. But why did I agree to help Mizuki-san do this in the first place!_

Shuichi frowned harder and sighed.

Soon, Yuki's apartment was in sight. It was all too familiar for Shuichi, as he had lived there for so many months in the past. Everything was far too familiar that he felt a little hurt and out of place.

He took the same old lift up and walked down the same old corridor to Yuki's unit.

_Here I am… How do I get in without the key? Oh yeah… the doorbell. I didn't use the doorbell very often in the past…_

Ding dong…

Shuichi waited.

And waited.

_Is Yuki still asleep?_

Ding dong… ding dong… ding dong… ding dong… ding dong…

"Stop that irritating noise! Can't you wait-" Yuki was yelling loudly in a pissed voice when he opened the door and found himself face to face with Shuichi.

"Hi… sorry about that. Mizuki-san had to return home urgently, so she begged me to pass the draft back to you…" Shuichi was struggling to keep himself in check, pulling at his shirt awkwardly. "Here! I have to go!"

He shoved the brown envelope into Yuki's hands and turned to leave as quickly as he could, taking fast, big, stiff strides back towards the lift. He vaguely heard a voice calling after him that sounded like Yuki's, but he was too afraid to acknowledge it.

The lift doors closed.

And opened at the first storey again.

_Argh! I acted so stupidly back then! It's so embarrassing! I hope Yuki… wait. It's raining! _

"No… It's a storm! The wind is so strong and it's raining cats and dogs! Damn! Now I won't be able to get back to the hotel!" Shuichi screamed and pulled at his hair in desperation. "What should I do!"

He leaned against the wall and slid down onto the floor, burying his face in his hands, feeling lost. With tears of helplessness in his eyes, he looked out again into the streets, but nothing was visible except the pouring rain. Depressed, he then hugged his knees close.

Placing his chin on his knees, he sniffled, looking like a lost puppy.

"Hey…"

Shuichi's ears pricked up at a familiar voice. He turned, eyes widening.

"… Yuki?"

"I wanted to tell you that it's going to rain heavily real soon, but you didn't seem to hear me…"

_Why… he looks worried. And it's as if he ran all the way down here…_

Shuichi found it hard to breathe.

They stared at each other for a short moment.

"Do you… do you want… to come up and wait till the typhoon dies down?" Yuki muttered and glanced away.

"… huh?" Shuichi felt his heart hammered loudly in his chest.

_What should I do? I can't go anywhere else anyway… but Yuki's house? The house I used to live in?_

He considered his options seriously, and realized that in fact, he had only one option.

"Ok… thanks…"

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

Shuichi looked around, noting that nothing has changed much. The apartment was very neat and empty, just like the time when he first moved in… Yuki's style.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Yuki asked from the kitchen.

"It's ok… you should just concentrate on your work. I'll get the drink myself. I haven't forgotten where the things are all kept-" Shuichi stopped and stiffened when he realized what that meant.

There was an awkward silence before Yuki spoke again.

"Ok… just… help yourself."

Shuichi only breathed a sigh of relief when Yuki retreated into his study room.

_God… what was I thinking! Stupid me…_

He got himself some water (there was only beer in the refrigerator), and sat down on the couch, switching on the TV. Fortunately, the TV was working, and the news was on now.

"… Experts have estimated that this bad weather will last for 1 to 2 days, and everyone is advised to stay home during this period of time…"

Shuichi hung his head. _1 to 2 days? Doesn't that mean that he's going to have to stay with Yuki overnight?_

"Ah well… I can handle it… I can…" He lied down on the couch, trying to relax.

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

It was near seven when Yuki decided to stop TRYING to write. He wasn't able to concentrate at all during the last 3 hours as his whole mind had been occupied with thoughts of Shuichi.

_He's here… so close to me… _

He switched off his laptop and started for the living room. Opening the study door, he realized that it was all dark in the living room.

"Shuichi?"

He heard a faint sound coming from the couch. As he got closer, he held his breath. There on the couch laid a sleeping Shuichi, who had such a peaceful look on his face that it could melt the hearts of others, even Yuki's. Not daring to make a noise for fear of waking the boy up, Yuki glided carefully and sat down on the floor beside the boy. He lifted his hand to touch Shuichi's cheek gently and his heart almost ceased beating.

Shuichi made a slight movement but didn't wake up.

_He's really so close…_

Yuki leaned closer and closer, lips almost touching Shuichi's now.

"Hnn…" Shuichi yawned and rubbed his eyes so suddenly that it made Yuki jumped back, knocking into the coffee table.

"Ouch…" Yuki slapped a hand to his forehead, cursing and blushing at the same time.

Shuichi's eyelids flew wide open.

"Yuki?" Shuichi sat up quickly. "What are you- are you all right?"

Yuki stood up and walked towards the kitchen hurriedly, still cursing himself silently. "I'm fine… do you want to eat dinner?"

"Ah, sure! Are you cooking? Great! I haven't eaten Yuki's cooking for a long time!" Shuichi bounced towards the kitchen, excited. "What are you cooking tonight? Teriyaki chicken? Ramen? Or that dish… what do you call that?"

"You're so noisy… it's only dinner, and I'm cooking curry. You like curry, right?" Yuki turned back to face Shuichi. "And don't you enter my kitchen. You'll only injure yourself or-"

"No, I won't! You're so mean-"

They looked at each other in the eye, stumped.

_I just acted like I'm still living here with Yuki! Oh no! I shouldn't have fallen asleep. It's clouding my mind!_

_Shit! What am I doing! First I tried to kiss him, then I'm acting like it's all natural for us to be together…_

"Sorry…" Shuichi blushed furiously.

"… don't apologize for nothing…" Yuki muttered and continued preparing dinner.

Dinner was silent as the two ate quietly, busily cursing themselves in their own minds.

After dinner, Yuki decided that it was best to try to have least contact with Shuichi as possible, so he proceeded to 'hide' in his study room. He paused at the door for a moment and then turned to Shuichi.

"You can sleep first if you're tired. But leave the couch. Use the… room that's unoccupied…" And with that, he closed the door of the study room behind him.

Shuichi's eyes soften sadly as he looked at the closed door.

_The room that's unoccupied… I guess he meant my old room…_

His eyes wandered to the door of Yuki's bedroom, and then to the door beside it that opened up to his past bedroom. He mentally noted that he had hardly slept in his own bedroom back then. It was always… Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned to the shelf near the TV. At the topmost level were some… magazines and CDs? He frowned.

_Yuki doesn't have the habit of reading magazines that were full of crap nor did he listen to music. So why were there so many magazines and CDs?_

He pulled down some of the magazines, curious.

_Men wear and cars? Ok… Yuki does like cars, but magazines on clothes? Weird…_

Puzzled, he reached to pull out one of the CDs, but dropped the magazines (that were in his other hand) in the process. Cursing, he bent down to retrieve the magazines, with his other hand still holding on to the CD that he was trying to get. Now, that proved to be a bad idea as when he turned his attention back to the CDs, instead of getting one of them, he was met with many falling CDs and magazines.

"Oh shit. No!" The clumsy brown hair boy whispered urgently and desperately as he did not want to disturb Yuki.

But it was too late.

CRASH!

_What the hell was that! Shuichi…_

Yuki sighed and decided to check things out. As soon as he opened the door, he spotted a mess of CDs and magazines and a brown hair boy scattered around the floor.

"Ouch… stupid CDs and stupid magazines… you didn't have to hit me so hard on my head! I don't want to become more stupid! Grr…"

Yuki watched amused as Shuichi began lashing out at his 'attackers'. He started smirking.

"What's this?" Shuichi stared in shock at the CD he was holding up in his hands. "Bad Luck's CD?"

It was only then did Shuichi realize that almost all the CDs scattered on the floor was Bad Luck's CDs. He gaped at them, while Yuki froze.

_Shit. _Yuki started to panic. _He shouldn't have seen those cds…_

"What are you doing?" Yuki snapped, trying to figure out some way of getting around this mess.

Shuichi jumped. "Yuki! Gomen! I was kinda bored so I saw this shelf and I saw some magazines and CDs and I thought of how weird it is for you to own this kind of stuff so I decided to check it out and I wanted to see what kind of music you were listening to but I was so clumsy that the magazines and CDs started falling on me and so we ended up like that!" Shuichi looked up at Yuki fearfully when he was done with his long explanation.

Yuki frowned and started towards Shuichi. _He still rambles on and on, not knowing what he's saying… but he looks cute standing there in the middle of the whole mess… wait… did I just think "cute"!_

"Just put everything back." That was the indication of Yuki's forgiveness.

Shuichi nodded furiously and moved to pack everything. He realized that he was way too close to Yuki, and so decided to take a step back... but unfortunately, he stepped onto a CD… and slipped… and started falling backwards, grabbing and pulling Yuki along with him.

"Ouch…" Both of them groaned as they met the cold, hard floor.

"Stupid brat… what-" Yuki felt his heart skipped many beats when he realized that he had Shuichi pinned under him on the floor. Shuichi was blushing furiously beneath him, with his fearful wide violet eyes staring up at him, waiting for him to move… but Yuki realized that he couldn't.

Somehow, their eyes were locked unto each other, and neither could move nor speak. The whole apartment was silent, except for the ticking of the clock and the pounding of their hearts.

Looking up into Yuki's mesmerizing golden eyes, Shuichi lost the will to move.

_Why isn't Yuki moving away? Oh my god… we're so close that I can feel his breath on my face. His eyes are so beautiful and the way his hair falls over his face… no. I shouldn't be thinking like this! I have to do something!_

But still, Shuichi was frozen on the spot below Yuki and he couldn't tear his eyes away from Yuki too.

"Why… why do you… have so many… magazines at home? Do… do you read them?" Shuichi stuttered, trying to focus on something else, hoping that Yuki will realize the awkward position they're in and move away.

"What?" Yuki frowned in confusion, and leaned in closer, eyes trailing down to Shuichi's lips.

Shuichi's heart thundered against his chest. He could felt Yuki's breath on his face again, this time closer.

_Is Yuki going to… kiss me! _

"I mean the magazines on the shelf that fell onto the floor. You don't read magazines, do you?" Shuichi whispered back, his voice cracking.

"Oh… those belong to Atsushi-" Yuki bit his tongue as he realized what he had just said and what it implied. He felt a piercing pain in his heart as he saw the mixture of emotions flashing through Shuichi's eyes: realization, disappointment, confusion, anger, helplessness, loss, and hurt, hurt, hurt.

Shuichi pushed Yuki off with a new burst of energy and gave Yuki a tiny sad smile, one that stabbed into Yuki's heart like a sharp knife.

"I see… I think I'm really tired. I'll just pack this mess up tomorrow morning, ok?" Shuichi stood up and strode to the 'empty bedroom'. "Oyasumi(1)…"

The door clicked close after Shuichi, leaving Yuki alone in the living room. He stared after Shuichi, at the closed door and then buried his face in his hands.

"God… what did I just do? I shouldn't have done that…" Yuki groaned and cursed himself for the millionth time that day.

But he wasn't sure…

Did he mean that he shouldn't have thought of kissing Shuichi, or that he shouldn't have mention Atsushi…

Because… deep in his heart, he understood that if he had not mention Atsushi, he would have gotten to kiss Shuichi for sure.

**xXx TBCxXx

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**

Ha… how's this chapter? They're just trying so hard to hold back their feelings. It's still the typhoon night next chapter! I love writing this part of the story…

More, more YukiShu next chapter. More then this chapter. MORE… (hint hint)


	11. A Passionate Moment

**Sorry for putting this up late! It was saved in my laptop for quite a while, but I wasn't confident of putting it up. So I ended up thinking and thinking and editing it, adding stuff, subtracting stuff, multiply and divide… and I finally ended up with this. Hopefully all that editing wasn't for nothing… haha!**

**Just a note: Remember that Atsushi's full name is Suzuki Atsushi. Shuichi addresses Atsushi as "Suzuki-san"/Suzuki cos that's his last name. (Well, only Yuki addresses him as Atsushi.) Just wanted to write this note because Atsushi is a made-up character and you may get confused over his name and all… **

**So, just remember: Suzuki-san equals Atsushi.**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me. (Sigh...)

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 11 --- A Passionate Moment**

Shuichi sat down on the floor of his bedroom, leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. He then started knocking his head backward on the wall.

"What am I doing! Why did that happen! Why am I stuck here in Yuki's house all alone with him!" Shuichi chided himself repeatedly. "I'm such an idiot. I hope I didn't appear jealous back then… I've got no place or reason to be jealous anymore…"

_But I… I'm… jealous... why?_

Shuichi felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.

_No! I'm not going to cry! I have no reason to cry! I have a girlfriend now.Forget the past! …I wonder what Yuki is doing now…_

Shuichi had heard Yuki entering his own bedroom just earlier, the room beside his. Turning back to face the wall, he sighed softly, held out a hand onto the wall, and then leaning his cheek against the wall as well.

"Yuki…" He whispered longingly.

But what he couldn't and didn't know was that right on the other side of the wall where his hand and cheek were... there sat Yuki leaning against the wall too.

Yuki took a drag on his cigarette and closed his eyes, trying to compose himself.

They were only separated by a wall. (i.e. Shuichi would be leaning on Yuki's back if the wall were to disappear.)

Finally, Shuichi managed to pick himself up, before falling onto the bed. He buried his face in the pillows.

_I should just sleep. Then morning will come soon and if the typhoon has died down, everything will be over… Sleep…_

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

The wind was howling in the night as rain pounded hard against the windows. Shuichi groaned and turned in bed, opening one eye to stare at the digital clock nearby.

1:24am.

_Argh! I can't sleep! It's too noisy with the wind and rain. And besides, after what happened just now… I really can't get to sleep! _

Shuichi stared up at the ceiling. The more he stared, the more restless he felt, and the more he couldn't sleep. Giving up on sleep, he decided to go out and get a drink.

_Yuki should be asleep by now… so I guess it's safe. Better not wake him up…_

He cracked the door open just a little and stole a peek outside. It was dark and quiet.

_Good. Now I'll have to be really quiet…_

He moved as silently as he could to the kitchen and checked the refrigerator.

_Sheesh! Yuki should stop drinking so much! There's only beer in here…_

"But well, maybe some beer can help me get to sleep…" Shuichi shrugged and grabbed a few cans, proceeding to the living room, avoiding the mess of magazines and CDs spilled over the floor. Sitting on the couch, he opened one can and started sipping the cool bitter liquid. He grimaced at the first taste, but soon got used to it.

Soon, he was on to his second can. Getting extremely bored by now but still not sleepy, he switched on the TV at a low volume. There was some stupid old comedy on.

By the time he finished his second can of beer, he was giggling softly at the stupid antics of the actors in the show.

"…" Shuichi blinked as he heard a low rumble. "I'm hungry. Snacks… I wonder if Yuki has any snacks at home."

Back he went into the kitchen, searching through all the cupboards and eventually finding some butter cookies.

"Butter cookies? Yuki doesn't keep these things at home. Great… it must be that Suzuki Atsushi again…" Shuichi glared at the cookies, as if willing them to defend themselves. "Hmph! I'll just eat all of them!"

So he settled comfortably on the couch in the living room, in front of the TV, legs stretched out onto the coffee table, sipping his third can of beer, and devouring those cookies in triumph, giggling at times, getting louder and louder each time.

At last, he couldn't control himself and burst out laughing at the stupid comedy, spilling beer onto the carpet at the same time.

"Brat, what are you doing?" A cold steely voice cut Shuichi's laughter off.

Shuichi, who had been lying on the couch in a fit, looked up at the novelist through his tear-filled eyes from laughing. He frowned.

"Oh, hi Yukiiiiiiiiii! I'm watching this really funny show and I'm drinking beer and I'm eating up these devilish bad cookies bought by that irritating, bad Suzuki!" Shuichi giggled and held out his fourth can of beer to Yuki. "You want some, Yukiiiiii!"

A vein popped up on Yuki's forehead. He rubbed his temples and snapped: "Stop shouting! You're drunk. Why did you drink so much!"

Shuichi pouted. "I didn't drink that much yet. I'm not drunk, Yukiiii!"

Yuki stared hard at Shuichi. _He's calling my name with that whiny but endearing tone again… just like he used to…_

"Baka."

"…I haven't heard you call me that for ages!" Shuichi giggled again. "Come join me! It's a noisy, raining, scary night… I don't wanna be alone… " His eyes watered.

Yuki found it hard to resist the drunken boy. He took a can of beer from the coffee table, opened it and started drinking… and he reached for the cookies.

And that made Shuichi scream. "NOOOO! You can't eat those cookies! I don't allow you to eat those cookies! You're eating his stuff! I don't like you eating his stuff! I'll eat everything he buys you!"

And with that, Shuichi grabbed the remaining cookies and stuff all of it into his mouth, almost choking on them.

"What the hell are you doing! Don't scream! And what do you mean by that?" Yuki snapped, annoyed.

Shuichi pouted, fuming. He ran to the mess he created earlier and starting picking up all the magazines. Then, he threw them all into a rubbish bag and tied it up tightly.

"There! No more!" Shuichi beamed proudly.

"What did you do that for, you stupid brat!" Yuki glared at Shuichi who had just returned to the living room.

Shuichi fell down onto the floor beside Yuki, facing Yuki, giving him a sly triumph grin. "No more Suzuki. NO MORE!"

Yuki stared at Shuichi in shock. _Had he been jealous all along? _

Shuichi was still looking hard at Yuki defiantly, as if expecting an answer.

"Right… no more Atsushi…" Yuki breathed, and watched as Shuichi smiled widely in satisfaction.

"Buy strawberry Pocky for me the next time!" The brown hair boy then turned his attention back to the TV, reaching for another can of beer.

"Don't drink anymore." Yuki reached out and pulled the can away from Shuichi, wrapping his arms around the boy in the process.

"Hahahaha! This show is really funny! Haruko will definitely love it! She's always so crazy and easily amused and-" Shuichi broke off suddenly as he was forced to face Yuki.

Yuki held Shuichi's chin and gazed into Shuichi's violet orbs with his golden eyes.

"You know, it isn't fair that I'm not allowed to speak of Atsushi when you keep going on about your girlfriend…"

Shuichi blinked. "Huh?"

"No more Haruko."

"No… more… Haruko…?"

"That's right."

And Yuki leaned in, crushing his lips down upon Shuichi's.

Shuichi froze for a moment, before he pushed Yuki away. He stared wide-eyed in shock at Yuki.

"No, this isn't right… we shouldn't be kissing…" Shuichi looked at Yuki, confused and drunk.

"Why? Give me a reason why and I won't do it." Yuki leaned in again, breathing into Shuichi's ear.

"…"

"So then…" Yuki pressed his lips against Shuichi's again. The boy froze, but soon melted into the kiss, parting his lips to allow Yuki's tongue in.

2: 47am.

They were kissing deeply and passionately, just like they had in the past. Warm, wet tongues slid over each other and explored every corner of the mouth. Yuki slipped his hand under Shuichi's shirt, causing Shuichi to moan and fall back onto the floor with Yuki above him.

"Yuki…" Shuichi breathed as Yuki's lips moved down his neck slowly.

Yuki slid one hand down and tugged at the zip of Shuichi's pants. But before he could unzip them, Shuichi started struggling suddenly, pushing him away.

"What-!" Yuki jerked back in surprise.

"No… something's wrong… wrong, wrong!" Shuichi protested wildly in confusion.

Yuki frowned as Shuichi struggled to stand up.

"Something's really wrong… I don't remember what, but…" Shuichi wobbled weakly and then passed out, collapsing into Yuki's arms.

"…" Yuki gazed down at the sleeping boy in his arms, and cursed softly. "Stupid brat. Don't you know that I'll feel so rejected?"

But only silence answered him.

**xxxxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxxxx**

Sunlight shone through the windows onto the sleeping boy as he awoke, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Hmm… so warm…" Shuichi smiled and mumbled as he moved to leaned closer to Yuki…?

Shuichi jerked back in fright when he realized that he was sleeping on the carpet, with his head resting on Yuki's chest, and his arms all over Yuki…with the blonde holding him close too.

_What! What happened! Why am I with Yuki! Sleeping with Yuki… OH NOOO! _He looked down at himself, only to find his clothes all disheveled. _What! Don't tell me… NO! It can't be! Ahhhh! Why did this happen to me! Why! Why! Why!_

He was about to scream in horror when…

"Hnn…" Yuki turned and crack one eye open, and saw the pale and stunned Shuichi blushing and goggling at him. It took him a while to realize what was wrong. And when he did realized that, he sat up quickly and brushed a hand through his hair uneasily.

He was trying to come up with something to explain this situation when he saw Shuichi holding onto his head in pain.

"You're having a hangover? Serves you right for drinking so much last night. Why don't you go wash up while I find some painkillers?" Yuki got up and went to the kitchen, searching for painkillers.

Shuichi whimpered in pain and slowly followed Yuki.

"Here." Yuki handed Shuichi the lifesaver pills, along with a glass of water, and the singer popped a pill into his mouth obediently.

"Thanks…" Shuichi closed his eyes for a moment to rest. When he opened them again, he noticed the fallen CDs scattered over the floor. "I think I had better clear this before I tripped over them again…"

"I'll help."

_Strange… where are all the magazines?_ Shuichi wondered briefly as he picked up the first CD. It was Bad Luck's debut album. He traced his fingers over his own beaming face on the cover, and then stared at Hiro's and Suguru's faces.

"Why won't you sing anymore?"

Shuichi jumped, startled at the sudden voice. He turned to look at Yuki.

"You scared me…" Shuichi muttered, turning back to the shelf, placing the CDs back in place.

"You didn't answer my question."

Shuichi paused for a slight moment, and then resume packing again.

After some time, he replied slowly: "…Singing isn't my first priority anymore..."

Yuki watched Shuichi intently. _Did he really mean that?_

Soon, all the CDs were back in place on the shelf.

"Why don't you go and wash up while I find some breakfast? You can use my bathroom. And if you need, I can lend you a change of clothes." Yuki suggested as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Ok…" Shuichi replied meekly and dragged himself towards Yuki's bedroom where the bathroom was located.

Once there, he turned on the tap and splashed some cool water onto his face. He turned to the shower.

_Might as well… it would freshen me up. God…Did I do anything last night? _

While showering, he tried very hard to recall what had happened last night. But this only succeeded in causing his head to ache more.

_Argh… I give up! I simply can't remember a thing at all! Anyway, all I feel now is the pain in my head… if my body doesn't feel weird at all… it probably means that nothing happened… right? Yes! Nothing happened! Absolutely nothing! We just drank too much and got drunk! That must be all that happened. Nothing else!_

He dried himself and got dressed, and realized that he had forgotten to bring one of Yuki's shirt in to change. He opened the bathroom door and peeked out to make sure that there wasn't anybody outside, before making his way out into the room. He hesitated while picking out one of Yuki's shirt to change into.

All of a sudden, the door burst open.

"Hey, do you want waffles or pancakes or omelette?" Yuki stepped in and froze when he saw Shuichi kneeling down in front of his wardrobe, half-dressed… or rather, half-naked.

Shuichi jumped and blushed and blushed and blushed and blushed, totally at a loss. Although he had his pants on and was only topless, he felt completely naked under Yuki's scrutiny.

"I-I-I'm s-so sorry… I-I didn't know which shirt to borrow…" Shuichi stuttered, keeping his eyes on Yuki's opened wardrobe all the while.

Shuichi jumped again and blushed even harder when he realized that Yuki was walking towards him. Furthermore, he almost cried out in surprise when Yuki stooped down next to him. He watched as Yuki reached into the wardrobe, brushing against his arm, causing his heart to flutter.

_Oh god… oh god! What's this feeling in me! I shouldn't be thinking of such things! _Shuichi squeezed his eyes shut. _Yuki's so close! So close!_

"Here. Put this on." Yuki whispered hoarsely… unintentionally, and passed Shuichi a white long sleeve shirt. "You messed up my whole wardrobe. Move away so that I can pack." _Move away quick… or else I may…_

Shuichi grabbed the shirt and retreated away from the wardrobe and Yuki.

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang suddenly, startling both of them.

"Would you get that for me? I want to get changed first." Yuki got up and headed for the bathroom without looking at the brown haired boy in the room.

"Ok…" Shuichi mumbled and hastily slipped into the clean shirt.

Ding dong…

"Argh… coming, coming!" He ran out of the room without buttoning up, leaving it to later.

_Who could be here so early?_

He turned the doorknob, opening the door to reveal a guy with black hair and violet eyes just like his.

Suzuki Atsushi.

… …

Shuichi froze. He felt like disappearing into a hole right then and there. Yet on the other hand, he was pissed.

The man stared down at Shuichi in surprise, and then smiled. "Sorry, I forgot my key…"

Shuichi was trying hard to restrain himself from slamming the door close. He mentally slapped himself and forced out a smile in return. "Hi… I was just…"

"You…" Atsushi examined Shuichi briefly.

_What! Is there something dirty or strange on me?_ Shuichi looked down and realized… _Oh shit! Yuki's shirt! I'm wearing Yuki's shirt! And it's still unbuttoned!_

"I-I… It's not what it looks like! We didn't, didn't…! I mean…!" He stuttered and frantically wrapped the shirt over his exposed chest, blushing non-stop.

"What the heck are you doing here!" A steely voice cut in.

They turned their attention to the blonde novelist who had just appeared behind Shuichi, his arms crossed.

"Eiri-san, I'm here to see you since the storm has died down… and I wanted to prepare breakfast." Atsushi smiled gently in spite of the situation they are in.

Yuki caught Shuichi looking away in the corner of his eye.

Yuki narrowed his eyes. _This is a very bad timing… for Atsushi to turn up here now… Then Shuichi…_

He was about to chase Atsushi back when Shuichi interfered.

"Ah, sorry for keeping you at the door, Suzuki-san. You should come in. I'll be leaving soon since you said that the storm is over… You-"

Yuki gritted his teeth unhappily at Shuichi's words, and watched as Shuichi cupped his hands over his mouth. The next second, the boy had turned and dashed into Yuki's bedroom, to the bathroom.

Yuki frowned worriedly after Shuichi. _It must be the alcohol and the cookies. Stupid kid. He shouldn't have drunk so much and ate a whole tin of cookies! And now I have to deal with Atsushi. This is so not my day…_

"Is Shindou-san feeling alright?" Atsushi asked in concern as he made his way into the apartment.

"You-" Yuki was ready to snap but was interrupted again.

"You had better go check on him…" Atsushi smiled gently. "And in the meantime, I'll prepare breakfast."

Yuki sighed. _I give up. This guy doesn't plan to leave at all! _

_Why did Shuichi invite him in anyway?_ Yuki turned and headed for Shuichi. _He'll just be a hindrance._

_Wait…_ Yuki froze temporarily. _A hindrance to what! What am I thinking of!_

He shook his head to clear his mind and proceeded on towards his bedroom where his ex-lover was.

**xXx TBC xXx

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**

So how's this chapter? Hope you guys liked it!

I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible… it'll deal with AtsushiYukiShuichi… most probably!

Sigh… I need to find some job to support my anime/manga obsession! Sigh…

**Oh! And about Haruko? It's in the next chapter, butI might as well say this now: yes, the fact that Shu FORGOT to call her shows that they're not that close. Shu already admitted in his POV in the earlier chapter that he feels that he's closer to Akiha than Haruko. Anyway, how can he remember Haruko when an extremely delicious Yuki is right there before him! Hahaha!**


	12. Three's Always a Crowd

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay. Cough, cough. I've been so caught up with reading fanfiction instead of writing my own one! Hahaha! Oh, by the way, you guys should really read this fic at gurabiteshiyon. I really, really love it! It's an AU fic. Go to , under the angst section... title: Beautiful Stranger.**

**Ok, back to this story. Thank you for all the reviews! I'm so sorry to disappoint you guys as nothing happened between Yuki and Shu, but all I can say is "Not yet…". Come to think of it, this story is gonna be kinda long. But I'll speed up the events that are supposed to happen in the story. Most probably will add a lemon in somewhere. Maybe I'll find someone to help me with it. **

**Japanese notes: (1)itai: ouch (2)gomen: sorry (3)yokatta: thank goodness (4)hentai: pervert**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 12 --- Three's Always a Crowd**

"Are you alright?" Yuki asked casually as Shuichi came out of the bathroom, trying to hide his concern.

Shuichi nodded meekly.

"You're really an extremely lousy drinker."

Shuichi winced mentally. "Sorry…" He shifted his gaze around the room, trying to avoid eye contact with Yuki. "It's not raining that heavily anymore." Shuichi's voice was laced with surprise when he looked out of the window. "That means I can return to the hotel soon."

Yuki grunted in agreement, yet he was feeling a little… disappointed. _Maybe it would continue raining. Would that keep him here longer? But why would I wish to keep him here longer! Ridiculous._

Outside, the phone rang suddenly.

Without saying another word, Yuki left the room to pick up the irritating device, followed by Shuichi. He grabbed the cordless phone and headed into his study room, while pushing the "Talk" button and snapping: "What do you want?"

On the other side of the line, an annoying but sweet voice replied: "Eiri-san. I just wanted to check if you're ok…"

"What? Did you think that I got blown away by the storm?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Seguchi Tohma chuckled. "Seems like you're well enough to joke. I guess I was worried for nothing." There was a slight pause. "But I'm not just worried because of the storm… you didn't look well _that night… _at the exhibition. Did you… did you…"

Yuki rolled his eyes. Since when did the almighty boss of NG Productions also known as his fucking bothersome and irksome brother-in-law stuttered?

"Did I what? Talk to that brat?"

"…Well, yeah… You know, it may be better to keep a distance from him. After all, both of you have separate lives now. It's better not to complicate matters and-"

Yuki snorted. The one thing he hated most was for people to butt into his life and tell him what to do.

"Don't tell me what to do. And besides, it's kinda late for that. That stupid brat is IN my house RIGHT NOW. In fact, he has been here since YESTERDAY AFTERNOON."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Yuki regretted his action. Now he would never escape from Tohma's (and Mika's) constant nag and 'we're just worried about you' tactics.

There was a pause as those words sunk into Tohma's head. "WHAT!"

Yuki winced as Tohma's surprised exclamation exploded in his ear.

"Eiri-san, what happened? Why is Shindou-san there? What is he doing there? What did you guys do?"

"Nothing." Yuki retorted and then froze. _If I'm talking the phone in here alone… that would leave Shuichi and Atsushi ALONE outside! Shit… I hope nothing happens…_

(Outside the study room):

Shuichi was seating UNCOMFORTABLY at the dining table drinking the cup of coffee Yuki had gotten him earlier, watching Atsushi working in the kitchen at the same time. He watched intently as Atsushi breezed through the preparation for breakfast – slicing, cutting, frying etc. Shuichi can do nothing but to admit that Atsushi seems like a talented cook. This made him taste something sour at the tip of his tongue.

"Shindou-san?"

Shuichi jumped, almost spilling his coffee. "Wha-what!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just wondering if you could help me slice the cucumbers…" Atsushi gave a small amused smile.

_Oh shit. I gave him something to laugh about! Argh…but he's asking me to handle a knife! Damn. _

"Er… I…" Shuichi began stuttering in response, racking his brains to come up with a good excuse.

Atsushi raised his eyebrow. "Is something wrong? Don't worry, it's a really simple task."

_Is he treating me as an idiot! Is he trying to insult me!_

Shuichi bit his lip defiantly and retorted: "Sure! Why not!"

The next moment, he found himself staring down at a long green cucumber.

_Oh great… why did I agree to do this! Yuki's going to kill me if I mess this up. Okay… relax… I'll just do this very slowly. Slow and careful. That way, nothing can go wrong… right?_

He picked the knife up with his right hand, held down one end of the cucumber with his left hand, and lowered the knife into the cucumber s-l-o-w-l-y.

_One… two…hey… I think I'm getting better at this…_

"Shindou-san… Are you worried about cutting yourself?" Atsushi appeared beside Shuichi.

"Huh?"

"Well, you're doing it… really extremely slowly…"

Shuichi stiffened. _So he's mocking me now…_

"Oh! No! I was just warming up… you know, you need to warm up before you do perform any special task…" Shuichi groaned inwardly at his lame excuse.

"… Oh."

_I bet his laughing at me in his heart! How dare he do that! How dare he! I'LL SHOW HIM WHAT I CAN DO!_

Determined to prove himself, Shuichi started speeding up, trying to match the speed of a professional chef.

"See? Now that I've warmed up, I can do this real quick! Don't worry about me, I'm very good at this! I'm improving very quickly! I-"

"Shindou-san!"

Shuichi turned to grin at Atsushi as he continued to cut the cucumber. "What!"

"… You're bleeding…"

"Huh?" Shuichi turned back to look down. _Ah… I've sliced the cucumber too unevenly. God… he must be laughing like a maniac in his heart. I didn't know some parts of a cucumber can be red… aren't they always green? But why is there a slice of cucumber with red dots on it? Hmm… interesting. Maybe I found a new species. Ouch! What's that all of a sudden! It hurts… my finger hurts… wait. This scene seems familiar. Me, a knife, chopping board, cucumbers and… pain…_

"AHHHHHHHHHH! OUCH!" Shuichi dropped the knife and screamed in shock.

On the other side, Yuki jumped, as did Tohma.

"What was that, Eiri-san? Did something happen?"

"What the hell?" Yuki sprung up off his chair and strode out towards the source of the commotion.

The minute he entered the kitchen, he saw a brown haired boy squatting down on the floor, who had his right hand grasping his left hand for dear life, and with tears in his eyes. Instead of trying to stop the bleeding, the boy was just staring intently and disappointedly at it, as if willing it to stop on its own. And when it obviously refused to obey, he grasped his hand more tightly, almost breaking down again.

_Does he actually think that staring at the cut will stop the bleeding? Baka…_

"Shindou-san… Are you okay? It's just a tiny cut-" Atsushi stopped short as he watched someone pulled Shuichi up suddenly.

"Ouch! That hurts! What are you-" Shuichi felt his breath stopped as he realized that it was Yuki who had pulled him up.

Apparently, Yuki had grabbed Shuichi's injured hand and dragged him towards the sink, placing the injured finger under the running water which caused Shuichi to wince.

"Baka! I told you not to touch anything in the kitchen!" Yuki barked and tried reaching out for the first-aid kit with his other hand, effectively trapping Shuichi between his arms, causing him to blush uncomfortably again.

Realizing his mistake, Yuki grabbed the first-aid kit and dragged Shuichi out of the kitchen. He set the first-aid kit onto the dining table and took out a band-aid.

"What did you think you were doing? You should know fully well that you can't cook at all!" Yuki glared at the embarrassed Shuichi while pulling him close to wrap the band-aid around the boy's finger.

"I just need more practice with cooking! I'm not that bad!" Shuichi retorted hotly.

"Yeah, right. If you could cook, the sun would rise from the west."

"…Yuki! That's so mean! ...but doesn't the sun rise from the west…?"

"…"

"…"

"Baka."

"Hey! You…" Shuichi trailed off as Yuki raised his eyebrow at him, daring him to deny his lack of common knowledge. But he lost all words as he was locked unto that gorgeous pair of deep golden eyes.

"Shindou-san, are you ok now? I'm sorry, I didn't know you were prone to injuries…" Atsushi sent Shuichi and apologetic smile.

"Oh no, it's my fault for not telling you that I've never been good at cooking. I always end up cutting myself…"

Yuki snorted. "That's an understatement. You do not just cut yourself, you break all the plates and bowls, burnt all the food, and almost blew the kitchen up once. So please… the next time you consider entering a kitchen, consider the safety of all mankind first."

Shuichi opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. He frowned deeply and bit his lip in annoyance, trying his best to look mad. But he gave up the act a few seconds later, choosing to turn away and pout slightly instead.

Atsushi watched the scene before him quietly, his eyes softening. He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking up again. "Shindou-san, it seems like you're the careless type. You spent the night here, right? I hope you did let your friends know about your whereabouts…"

It took a moment before Shuichi widened his eyes as a horror stretched across his face. "OH MY GOD! I FORGOT!" He dashed for his coat and pulled out his mobile phone.

34 miss calls.

"Oh shit!" Shuichi practically screamed. "I left my phone on the silent mode!"

Right then, the mobile phone in his hands vibrated again.

"Moshi moshi?"

"SHUICHI!"

Shuichi jerked the phone away from his ear in fright as he was almost blown away by the blaring shriek. He sweatdropped, as did everyone else in Yuki's apartment.

"Uhm... Haruko-chan?"

"SHU-CHAN! Oh my god! It's really you! Thank goodness you're safe! We were all so worried! I called you so many times last night but you didn't pick up the phone! I thought something bad had happened to you… with the storm and all…" Haruko sniffled on the other side of the line.

"Ah... Sorry. I didn't know that my phone was on the silent mode. And I'm so sorry I forgot to call too. Don't worry, I'm fine." Shuichi smiled widely.

"Thank goodness... but where are you?"

"I'm at…" Shuichi froze. _Oh no, do I tell her the truth? I guess she won't mind, but…_

But before he could reply, he heard the sounds of a glass breaking over the phone.

"Haruko? Are you alright? What happened?" Shuichi frowned worriedly.

"It's okay. I guess I'm just too tired. I couldn't sleep well last night… oniichan's asking me to rest now… he'll send me back if I don't listen to his advice. So, Shu-kun, I'll see you when you get back? I'm so glad that you're fine. Come back soon?"

Shuichi smiled guiltily. _She must have been too worried for me. Whereas I've been with Yuki all along…and I forgot about Haruko just because I've been so caught up with the fact that I'm with Yuki. This is so wrong…_

"Right, I promise. Now, you should go have a good rest. I'll be back when you wake up."

"Okay. Love ya! Hold on just a second… I'll pass the phone to someone else."

Yuki watched as Shuichi fiddled with his coat while chatting happily with that girl, Haruko. He felt a wave of nausea washed over him as he recalled how Shuichi would only speak to him in that kind of loving way in the past. Now, everything has changed.

He continued watching his ex-lover when another voice screamed out over the phone so loudly that everyone could hear it.

"SHUICHIIIIIIIII!"

Shuichi jerked the phone away and cupped a hand over his ear again.

"SHUICHI! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, MY LOVE!"

Once Shuichi recovered from his shock, he shook with anger, gripping the phone more tightly by each second.

"ARE YOU THERE! HONEY!"

That did it.

"WHO'S YOUR LOVE! WHO'S YOUR HONEY! STOP SPOUTING NONSENSE! ARE YOU STUPID OR WHAT!" Shuichi's words exploded into the phone.

"BUT I LOVE YOU! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT TO ME! I MISSED YOUR WARM LOVELY BODY SO MUCH!"

Shuichi flushed with anger and embarrassment. He gripped the phone in a death grip and started slowly: "Akiha… I'm warning you. If you go on with all this ridiculous crap… I… I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE!" He screamed that last part into the phone and started strangling the phone.

"Oh… so YOU CAN'T WAIT TO FEEL MY SKIN AGAINST YOURS? BUY YOU'LL HAVE TO PEEL MY CLOTHES OFF BEFORE THAT…"

"…PERVERT! Shuichi was about to hang up in frustration when Akiha laughed and apologized, getting rid of that teasing, whiny voice.

"Ok, ok… I'll stop here. Anyway, where in the world are you?"

"I'm at…" Shuichi paused for a moment. "… a friend's house…"

"Oh. Give me the address. I'll come get you."

"No, it's ok. I can go back on my own…" Shuichi tried refusing as he didn't want Akiha coming to Yuki's house.

"No. I'm coming to pick you up. The city may be in a mess. I don't want you getting harmed."

Shuichi sighed. _I wonder how Akiha can be an idiotic brainless pervert one moment and switch to being a serious, responsible, conscientious 'big brother' the next moment. I wonder how I survived this pass year with this guy…_

He turned around and realized that two pairs of eyes were watching him. Amusement flickered in Atsushi's eyes, while the other pair of eyes remained cold and hard… those golden orbs. He blushed and gulped.

"Er… Yuki? Is it ok if I give Akiha your address? He insists on picking me up…"

Yuki tore his eyes away from the blushing boy in irritation and snapped: "Whatever."

Shuichi gulped again, before speaking into the phone again, reporting Yuki's address. "Call me when you've reached and I'll meet you downstairs. I don't want you coming up bothering others…"

"You're so mean! Okay then… by the way, I LOVE YOU! HOPE YOU DIDN'T SLEEP WITH SOME OTHER GUY OVER THE NIGHT!"

Both Shuichi and Yuki stiffened.

Before Shuichi could retort back, the line went dead.

_Technically, I think I did…No! No! No! Don't think of it that way… we didn't do anything at all! _Shuichi slammed the phone onto the couch. "Stupid pervert!"

"Is that Sakurai Akiha? He sounded like as if he's your lover…" Atsushi chuckled.

"What!" Shuichi choked. "Definitely not! Who would like a pervert like him! I don't have such a bad taste in men!"

It was Yuki's turn to choke. _Taste in MEN! And what did he mean by that? He had just accidentally implied that he has great taste in men… which is somehow obviously connected to... _

_Me. _

Shuichi felt his face heating up to boiling point as he realized his mistake. "I mean women! WOMEN! GIRLS!"

_Baka._

Atsushi laughed. "You're really a very interesting person, Shindou-san. But is Sakurai Akiha always that… crazy?"

"Well, not always. He's very serious when it comes to work. Somehow, I guess he can be relied on." Shuichi moved towards the dining table where plates of food have been laid down.

Yuki felt his heart dropped as Shuichi defended Akiha. He turned towards the food. _Great… Now I'm getting jealous of his girlfriend and his boyfriend again. How pathetic._

"The food's ready… let's eat." Atsushi came out of the kitchen, smiling. "There's a share for everyone."

Shuichi just stood by the table, unmoving.

"Shindou-san? What's wrong?" Atsushi looked at Shuichi in concern. "Please take a seat."

"… Nn…" Shuichi answered hesitantly and took the seat nearest to him, which was right beside Yuki, while Atsushi sat opposite Yuki.

"Itadakimasu…"

_This looks superb to me! He was able to put together all these delicious looking dishes in such a short while? I can never do that… _Shuichi stared down at the food before him.

Shuichi continued staring at his food and frowned slightly.

"Shindou-san? Is the food not to your liking?" Atsushi asked again in concern.

"Eh?" Shuichi jumped and began shaking his head vigorously. "No! No! It's just that… it's just that…"

All of a sudden, his bowl of beef celery sukiyaki was lifted up and replaced by another bowl.

"Eh?" Shuichi blinked, puzzled.

"You can have that bowl. It has lesser celery in there." Yuki muttered and starting eating.

Shuichi's heart skipped a beat. _He remembers that I hate celery._

"Thanks…" Now he can tuck into his meal safely, away from all the celery.

Atsushi watched in silence before tucking in as well. "So, are you busy with anything else besides the exhibition?"

"We're planning a photo shoot that would probably take place soon. I'm not really sure of the places we're using yet… it all depends on Akiha. I'll just go with his ideas." Shuichi shrugged. "Just as long as he doesn't suggest anything funny…"

Atsushi paused for a moment, looking as if he was pondering on something. "You know… I've heard you sing before… on the radio. You've got a great voice and your band was already on the way to the top. Why did you quit?"

Shuichi stiffened. _Here it comes again. Everyone… EVERYONE asks me this question whenever they have a chance to. Even Yuki. Why? Why? It's not as if I understand it well too… _

He chose to answer the question indirectly. "I like modeling now."

Before Atsushi can press on with this topic, Shuichi tried changing the subject – a technique he had learned over this past year. "What about you, Suzuki-san? What are you working as?"

"I was previously a normal working employee. But I landed myself with the job of a scriptwriter three months ago."

"Oh…"

_A scriptwriter, huh? That's quite close to being a novelist. For one thing, they're both writers… only that the end-product of their works ended up in different places – one on TV and the other on the shelves of bookstores._

_It means that their level of thinking is the same. They belong to the same world, and are able to click with each other. I bet Yuki doesn't scream at him or call him an idiot. Atsushi can even help Yuki with his work… unlike me. Yuki always complained that I was bothering him while he was working._

_In other words, Atsushi's more suited for Yuki… not me._

_It had never been me. _

_It will never be me. _

"Shindou-san? Shindou-san?"

Shuichi snapped himself back to reality when he heard his name. He looked up to meet Atsushi's concerned violet eyes.

_His eyes…_

"I'm fine." Shuichi lied. "I just felt a little unwell again due to the hangover."

_It must be my imagination…_

He watched as Atsushi turned to Yuki, smiled gently, and then started chatting away again.

Something stirred inside him and he stood up abruptly.

Addressing the confused looks on the two writers, he offered a simple explanation, smiling weakly. "I'm sorry… I'm not feeling that well all of a sudden. I think I'll just rest in the room until Akiha arrives."

Without waiting for a reply or any form of an acknowledgement, he strode towards the 'guestroom' and disappeared inside, locking the door behind him.

He sat on the bed, leaning back on the bedpost, with his knees pulled up close to his chin.

_I can't stand to see them behaving like that. I'm afraid I'll lose my composure. I can't stand being so close to Yuki. It stirs up too many painful memories. I'm afraid of breaking down in front of them._

_I don't ever want them to see me in my pathetic state. _

_I don't think I'll be able to put up with Yuki's sarcasm and scorn._

**xxXxXxXxx**

Meanwhile, Yuki stared and fiddled with his food absentmindedly, resting his cheek on one hand that was propped up on the table.

_I wonder if he's ok… He hardly ate…_

His thoughts of Shuichi were interrupted by a warm presence over his other cheek.

"Eiri-san, are you ok? Aren't you eating?"

"I'm fine." Yuki slapped Atsushi's hand away. "I'm full…" He got up and entered the kitchen for a can of beer.

_Did I do something wrong?_

His eyes landed on Atsushi who was presently busy clearing the table.

_Don't tell me…_

"_No more Suzuki!"_

_That was what the brat shouted last night, isn't it?_

"Don't you have work to do? I'm not free to attend to you. So you should just leave." Yuki leaned against the refrigerator.

Atsushi continued washing the dishes. "…fine. I'll leave after tidying the apartment. You don't have to attend to me. Go focus on your work then." He finished the drying the last plate.

Yuki snorted. "Whatever. Just don't bother me." He made a move to leave the kitchen.

"Eiri-san?"

Yuki turned… and was met with Atsushi's lips on his.

Yuki stepped back in surprise. "What the hell!"

Atsushi smiled. "Yes?"

Yuki's eyes flickered to the door of the 'guest room'. Seeing that it was still safely closed, he breathed a mental sigh of relief.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get the door. You should get to work…" Atsushi brushed pass Yuki.

"Hiiiiiii! I'm here for my dearest Shu-chan!"

Yuki stiffened at that voice. He strode to the door. _Who does he thinks he is? Coming to me and claiming Shuichi as his?_

"Eh? You're not Yuki-san…"

"Ah… I'm a friend of Eiri-san's… Suzuki Atsushi. Nice to meet you. You must be Sakurai Akiha-san…"

"Right!" Just then, Akiha spotted Yuki. "Yuki-san! So have you considered accepting my offer?"

"I said no. Don't you understand Japanese? Or do you want me to repeat that in English?" Yuki snapped in irritation. Oh how he wanted to kick this guy away from his apartment, and from Shuichi.

Akiha stepped in pass Atsushi and stopped close in front of Yuki (their faces really close to each other). "I never give up that easily. I try hard to get what I want, and once mine, I'll never let it go easily too…"

Yuki gritted his teeth.

"Akiha!" Another voice cut in.

Akiha looked over Yuki's shoulders and grinned when he saw Shuichi.

"Ah! Shuichiiiiii!" He pushed past Yuki and strode towards Shuichi, and then swept the boy off his feet into a hug, forcing the Shuichi to wrap his hands around Akiha's neck for support. "I missed you!"

Yuki gritted his teeth more and turned to look away.

Recovering from his shock, Shuichi struggled and started protesting. "Put me down! You idiot! Put me down!"

"Ok, ok." Releasing the boy, Akiha surveyed the apartment. "This place is huge…"

"I told you to call… why didn't you!" Shuichi pointed a finger at the photographer who had begun touring the apartment on his own accord. "And don't enter theroom without permission!"

"Fine. Whatever you say…" Akiha pouted and ruffled Shuichi's hair, pissing Shuichi off further.

"Let me get you a drink." Atsushi offered politely and started for the kitchen.

"No, it's ok. We'll be leaving now. I'm under Haruko's orders to bring Shuichi back to the hotel as soon as possible. I don't want to incur her wrath… girls can be really scary sometimes." Akiha smiled politely and pick up Shuichi's coat that had been lying on the couch. "Come on, Shuichi…" He reached for Shuichi's hand and held it, heading for the door. "Thanks for taking care of Shuichi last night, Yuki-san."

Just as Akiha was about to pull Shuichi out pass Yuki, Shuichi held back.

Yuki's heart thumped. He looked down at the brown haired boy.

_Is he going to stay?_

But he was disappointed.

"Bye, Yuki. Thanks…" Shuichi hesitated before mumbling.

"Hn…"

And with that, Shuichi let Akiha pull him out and closed the door behind them.

**xXx TBC xXx

* * *

**

Done! Finally! I'm getting quite busy with all my schoolwork, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm slow with updates. I really can't stand all the projects! They take up so much of my time… sigh…

Oh yeah! That beef celery sukiyaki that Atsushi prepared? I found the recipe on the Internet, so I guess there's such a dish. I've never eaten such a dish before though… usually I'll lung for my sushi, sashimi, ramen, bento… I had to search for a dish which had celery in it just for this part of the story! LOL…

And about eyes… maybe I'm focusing too much on eyes. But I really love violet eyes in anime. So pretty and alluring and special. Most of my favorite characters have purple eyes… I wonder if it's just a coincidence. Haha… The only pair of non-violet eyes that left a huge impression on me is Loki's (from Matantei Loki Ragnarok) mesmerizing deep green eyes. Kyaaaaa!

Anyway, next up… I'll try speeding things up. Next chapter should deal with Miyabi's executed plan to try to destroy Yuki. I'll see if I can squeeze in YukiShu :D

So see ya next time! Hee…


	13. Plan A

**I'm so so soooo sorry for taking this long to update. On top of my busy school schedule and everything else, I've contracted the deadly disease labeled writer's block. Not to mention that there are so many excellent fanfics out there that I'm hooked onto! And other distractions like the rest of my yaoi manga collection, anime that I have to watch etc, etc, etc. **

**AND… I've actually written some of the later chapters… meaning that I postponed working on the next chapter (the chapter I should be writing), and skipped all the way to the back to write a chapter there. I know that this is crazy… but somehow, inspiration for the later chapters just struck me and I just had to work right then and there! Haha! Truth to be told, I've written a lemon chapter for this fic. But I wonder if I should actually put it up when the time comes… I'm not confident of it, and won't I have to change the rating of this fic?**

**Hmm… any opinions?**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me. Nope.**

* * *

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 13 - Plan A**

"So how is it coming along?"

The deep voice of a man sounded on the other side of the line, laughing in reply. "You won't believe this. I've found out something interesting…"

"Interesting? Is it helpful for us?"

"Definitely. Everyone out there would be so shocked if they learned about this other side of him… the dark side. But I think you may have to verify this new finding by yourself."

"Then tell me about what you have found out…"

"Well, do you remember a band called 'ASK'? They were formerly under N-G, but were dropped and disbanded by Seguchi Tohma himself…"

"Yeah. That's because their lead singer, Aizawa Tachi, was badly hurt in an accident right?"

"That's part of the reason. But don't you think that the band could have continued singing after Aizawa recovered?"

"What are you trying to say here? Cut straight to the point!"

The man laughed again, mocking the lady's impatience. "Ok, ok. I found out that the accident may not be an accident. Seguchi Tohma and Yuki Eiri may somehow be involved in it."

"… Are you sure about that?"

"Well, I'm not 100 sure. But it seems like there's some truth to it. Maybe, there's even more to it. That is why I'm leaving it up to you to verify it. I've located Aizawa Tachi. You can go to him if you want to… and use some of your charm to get him to talk."

A moment of silence followed, before the lady spoke again. "Ok. Give me his details and location."

The man did as he was told.

"Thanks. What about the other stuff?"

"You mean his love life?"

The lady snorted. "Does he have a love life?"

"Hahaha! I guess not. His sex life then?"

"Yes. Anything?"

"Information regarding this area is definitely mush easier to dig out. Most of his partners were willing to hint that they know him. In fact, some were so proud that they were able to sleep with him. Maybe you should be happy too eh?" (Snickers)

"Cut the crap! Although I do admit that his skill in bed might be one of the best I've come across so far, but I don't care about that!"

"Right, right. Anyway, I have a long list of women he has slept with during this past month plus a few snapshots. There's almost a different one everyday 1 to 2 days. Oh, but his boyfriend remains as that one… Suzuki Atsushi. Amazing. He changes his women but not his guy. Maybe he really likes that guy."

"I don't think he's capable of liking anyone, Hideaki. Besides, he did change his guy…"

"You mean…"

"Wasn't he with Bad Luck's lead singer, Shindou Shuichi, last year? He admitted to this on TV…"

"That's right. Shindou Shuichi quitted as a singer a year ago. Maybe Yuki Eiri had something to do with that. Anyway, Shindou is back in Tokyo right? Are you going to confront him as well?"

"Maybe… I'll see what I can get out of Aizawa first."

"But whatever you decide to do, you need enough evidence and enough 'victims' on your side to bring down Yuki Eiri. Not to mention that you must watch out for Seguchi Tohma…"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure I destroy his reputation as the gorgeous Prince Charming completely. And once he's being labeled as a frivolous, cold-hearted, fucking abusive bastard, he can forget about his career in the entertainment or media industry forever. Everyone would be so disgusted and spurn that bastard Yuki Eiri."

"Then, if you make it big, don't forget me…"

Miyabi smirked. "I won't, if you help me get him."

"Well, ain't I doing that now?"

"Then, it's settled. Get everything ready soon. Once I'm through with Aizawa and Shindou, I'm making my way to Sawada and get him to spill everything out through the media."

"Understood. Bye!"

"Bye."

Click.

Miyabi sat at her desk for a few moments in silence. _I have to make this work no matter what. It's probably my only chance. First, I'll show the world what an arrogant, unfeeling playboy he is. Then, I'll prove to them that he almost killed Aizawa Tachi for some reason… and how abusive he can be. For this, I need to 'create' a few victims who were hurt physically…_

_Yup. That's about it. Now… I need to go look for Aizawa Tachi._

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

"Oi! There's someone asking for you!"

"Got it!" A raven-haired man stood up and kicked the unpacked boxes to the side before stepping out of the storeroom into the disco area blasting with music and life.

A lady who was dressed in a short, tight, black dress smiled and waved to him. "Aizawa-san? Over here!"

"Hi. Do I know you?" Aizawa asked as he approached the lady, wary yet puzzled.

"Let me introduce myself! I'm Tanaka Miyabi!" She shouted over the music, swaying her body a little.

"I'm Aizawa Tachi! Is there anything I can help you with!"

"Yes! Dance with me!"

"What! I can't! I'm on duty at the bar counter!"

"I know! Just for a little while!"

"… Whatever!"

They moved to the dance floor and pushed their way through the crowd to the center of it. Miyabi leaned her body against Aizawa and moved to the trance music, tempting and teasing, while Aizawa followed her lead. It was a dance filled with lust.

Slowly, Miyabi snaked her hands around Aizawa's neck, moved close to his ear and whispered: "Can I have a private moment with you out at the back?"

Aizawa smirked as the beat changed, with a new track beginning to play. He grabbed Miyabi by the waist and started towards the backdoor where it was all dark and less noisy. After making sure that they were alone, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her forcefully. Miyabi returned the act, leading Aizawa on, taking the initiative by placing her hand over Aizawa's, leading it to her butt.

"Do you think you can get time off now?" She whispered, taking in deep breaths.

"Sure…" Aizawa replied hoarsely, teasingly.

As he leaned in to kiss her again, Miyabi stopped him with her hand.

"Wait. I need something from you in return."

Aizawa raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "And what is that?"

"The truth behind the accident you got into…"

Miyabi saw a flash of emotions run past Aizawa's features – anger, helplessness, and… fear. _Now I'm sure that there's something more to that so-called accident._

"What do you mean? I don't understand what you're talking about." He looked back to the disco area. "Anyway, sorry. It's pretty busy here tonight. I don't think I can leave now. Another time, perhaps. Bye." He started walking back but Miyabi grabbed his arm in a bid to stop him.

"Wait. I can help you get out of this. I just need to know the truth." She stared at him fixedly, determined to get an answer.

"The truth?" He turned and met her gaze directly. "Sometimes, the truth won't help anyone. And I can assure you that the truth won't help me here."

"Are you contented with your present life then? When you were a blooming singer back then? Can you really let it go?" She pressed on.

"At least it's better than losing **everything**…" He mumbled, placing emphasis on 'everything'. "The truth almost got me killed once."

Bingo. "So you mean that that wasn't really an accident right? It was deliberate. Because you found out something which you shouldn't have."

Aizawa reeled back in shock as he realized what he had just said. "I didn't say that!"

"Come on… it's so obvious. I just need a hint or two. I promise I won't drag you into this if you don't want to. But we can still work together if you want to…"

Aizawa appeared to be in a dilemma.

_Yes… I'm getting to him. His hatred at those guys who robbed him of his career and life and everything would eventually get him to say something._

Just as she thought, he relented finally. "I suppose I can give you some information. You can do whatever you want, but don't drag me into it. I don't want to get into trouble. Leave me out of it completely."

"Sure. It's a deal…"

**xXx xXx xXx**

Miyabi walked along the streets of Tokyo, mulling over what Aizawa had just told her. She was stunned, caught in disbelief. Even though she had known that Yuki Eiri was not the man he seemed to be, she didn't expect this:

"_It started when he gave my band mate a thrashing…"_

"_Why did he do that?"_

"… _let's just say that I… hurt Shindou Shuichi…"_

"_You mean that he actually beat you guys up for his then lover?"_

"_Yes. I was quite surprise too. But at that time, his blows held so much malice that my band mate needed to be hospitalized. I'll always remember that look in his eyes… that **murderous** look…" He looked at her intently before continuing. "Then Seguchi Tohma came into the picture. He sent me an anonymous letter… but I didn't know that it was a scheme to test if I would approach Yuki Eiri. So I confronted Yuki Eiri with the letter and he didn't deny its contents. When I wanted to pass the letter on to the media, Seguchi lured me into the accident. I lost everything that night. But I know that it's useless and stupid to try to go up against those two, especially Seguchi. Thus, I advise you not to do it too…"_

"_What's in the letter?"_

"_In short, Yuki Eiri's past."_

"_Can you please be more specific?"_

"_Well, I've already said that that guy is dangerous. He almost **killed** my friend."_

_Miyabi looked at him in shock. "You don't mean… but how is it possible?"_

"_I've said more than I should have. Remember our deal... we've never met each other before. Once again, I advise you to think about what you're doing… and the consequences of it. Bye."_

Miyabi frowned in concentration as she stopped at the traffic light, waiting for the cars to stop. _That hint… it was too obvious to not notice it. But, it seems too surreal… Yuki Eiri a murderer! Can it be true? But it has to be… judging by Aizawa's demeanor when he related his story to me. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll make it sound true, get Sawada to draw up an anonymous letter with the truth stated on it and just leave the rest of the media to investigate. Surely they would want to investigate further to uncover the truth since it's Yuki Eiri we're talking about here…_

She smiled to herself in satisfaction, flipping her cell phone open and dialing a number. "Hideaki. Can you get all the photos and other 'evidence' ready by tomorrow? I'm planning to go to Sawada tomorrow. I want everything to be broadcasted to the whole of Japan by tomorrow night…" She crossed the road as the cars stopped.

"What! Fine… I'll try to rush everything out by tomorrow then. I'm watching him now and he's with another new woman. But it seems like his boyfriend is bugging him for attention. This is so hilarious!"

"More photos and more videos are warmly welcomed. Whatever you do, I want everything by tomorrow, get it?"

"Got it, boss."

"Thanks." Walking into a quiet bar, she whispered her order to the bartender.

"So, I assume Aizawa shared some useful information with you?"

"Yeah. It was a piece of shocking news. I'm still unable to digest it fully even now…"

"What is it that he told you!"

"Well…" As she briefly mentioned the obvious hints that Aizawa dropped and what she concluded from those hints in a low voice, she didn't realize that someone was watching her. Someone who had hidden his soft light brown locks with a navy blue cap and was dressed in jeans and a casual shirt with a denim jacket over it. His violet eyes were shielded behind a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses.

_That lady… isn't she the one with Yuki on the night of the exhibition?_ _I heard her mention Yuki's name. I guess she must be talking about him. She must have fallen head over heels for him… just like every other woman…_Shuichi watched Miyabi intently.

"Shu-kun? Is anything wrong?" Haruko asked from across the table.

Shuichi snapped his attention back to his girlfriend and smiled. "No… it's nothing. I just thought that that lady over there was familiar… I think she's a friend of one of my friends…"

"Oh! Why don't we just go say 'hi'?"

"It's ok… I don't know her very well. For all we know, I could be mistaken."

Haruko shrugged thoughtfully and then erupted into a fresh burst of smiles. "Let's move nearer to her but not catch her attention. Then maybe you could see if you really know her!"

Shuichi sweatdropped. "Is that really necessary? Let's just leave this matter as it is…"

"No!" Haruko pouted. "It'll be more fun my way…"

Shuichi sighed in defeat. "Oh yeah… I forgot. You've always dreamt of becoming a detective right? Is this your way of making your dream come true even if it's just for a little while?"

Haruko stood up carefully, watching Miyabi from the corner of her eyes. She smiled sinisterly. "You know me so well, Shu-kun. That's why I love you so much…"

Shuichi sighed again as he had no choice but to comply with Haruko's wishes. They snuck stealthily to the table right behind Miyabi. (She was facing the direction opposite them/away from them.)

"Can you believe it? He's a murderer!" Her voice rose as she grew agitated.

Shuichi froze. _What!_

"Now that I know his dark past... about what happened in New York, I'm going to expose him in front of everybody. Then, he can take a break from writing novels for a long, long time…"

Shuichi was stunned beyond words. He was paralyzed as he struggled to comprehend Miyabi's words. _It was no doubt that she's talking about Yuki. I heard her say his name earlier, and now she's talking about a dark past, New York, and writing novels! But what did these all mean! How did she find out about Kitazawa Yuki!_

He vaguely made out Haruko mouthing a question at him… maybe asking him if he knew the woman. He shook his head slowly in response, still caught up in Miyabi's words.

"Yeah… Aizawa has been a great help. Though he needed quite a bit of coaxing before he said anything… and he doesn't want to be known to be involved in this…"

_Aizawa Tachi! He was the one who revealed Yuki's secret to her! But- but I didn't even know that Aizawa knew anything about that! Why! How!_ Shuichi was about to collapse from the whirl of emotions he was feeling right then.

"Yes. Everything is going to be over for him tomorrow night once I get to Sawada. I don't really need to gather 'victims' now… this piece of information that Aizawa shared with me is enough to bring him down."

_Tomorrow night! Sawada! What is she planning to do!_

"Yes. I'll meet you tomorrow morning to look through all the information you have gathered. After sorting after out, I go to Sawada immediately so that he'll have ample time to prepare the live broadcast that will take place later in the night. Bye." Miyabi ended the call and got up to leave. Shuichi hunched forward and hid his face as much as he could, causing Haruko to frown at him in confusion.

Haruko watched as Miyabi left the bar before daring to speak. "Shu-kun, didn't you say you didn't know her? Then why did you tried to hide when she was leaving?"

"Er… I dunno. Instincts, I guess. Just like you have detective instincts?"

That seemed to satisfy Haruko. "But she was saying some really weird stuff wasn't she? I wonder if she was serious about that… it's as though she's planning something bad behind someone's back… framing someone…"

This only served to double Shuichi's puzzlement and anxiety. He frowned in worry. _Yuki… something bad is going to happen to Yuki! I have to do something! _

_Yuki!_

**xXx tbc xXx**

* * *

I'm terribly sorry if this has gotten boring or lame. But of course I still hope that you guys will continue reading this fic!

**Next up: Shuichi willing to do anything to help Yuki!**

I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as possible!


	14. Mamoritai

**Ah… so much for my promise to get this chapter up as soon as possible. Haha. I should stop making empty promises. But I'm really, really, really busy with projects and tests.Sigh…**

**Well, anyway, on to the chapter. I hope that this chapter is long enough to make it up to you guys (for waiting)...**

**Oh! And I've been in a crazy mood lately because… part 2 of the Gravitation manga is finally out! Murakami-sensei has decided to continue with the story at last! Track 55 is out in a magazine. (Need more info? XD)**

**Cheers:D**

**And, to benight fool-san, I'm so sorry. I'm not sure what I was doing writing that! Let me correct what I said. English is my first language, but not my mother tongue(?). I'm Asian, and my language skills aren't that good. (grins sheepishly) I'm so sorry for my mistake! I'm so embarrassed! Hee... Argh... I'm really embarrassed now...Anyway, I'm better at Maths and Science. I admire and envy those who excel at writing... they're able to put across their thoughts and feelings so well. And oh my god... I'm actually on asuicide roadas I've chosen to minor in English Literature! Lol... ****Besides, could you tell me where I hadcommitted that mistake? I would like to correct it... THANKS!**

**I would like to thank my other reviewers too! Honestly speaking, I'm really nervous reading reviews every time. I'm afraid of receiving flames... if you don't like the story, please just pretend it doesn't exist. I don't mind constructive criticism though... I'll try to improve on what's wrong.**

**THANKS for your reviews as they really encouraged me to carry on, and I'll try to improve on all the horrible parts!**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me. Lyrics of 'In the Moonlight' was taken from animelyrics.**

* * *

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 14 - Mamoritai **(means: want to protect)

Shuichi rubbed his eyes lazily, yawning at the same time.

_God… I'm so tired. Why didn't I turn in earlier last night?_

He frowned; trying to remember what had kept him up so late the night before.

…

…

It finally occurred to him, and he bolted up to a sitting position on the bed.

_Yuki!_

The image of Miyabi on the phone and the words that had flowed from her appeared in his head again. He had spent one whole night going over Miyabi's words repeatedly, trying to figure out what she was planning to do and how to stop her. But before he could figure things out, he had given in to sleep.

He turned to check out the time. 1:55pm.

"Oh shit!" He cursed and stumbled out of bed, rushing into the bathroom to wash up before changing into a new set of clothes.

As he put on his clothes, his thoughts were still focused on Yuki.

_Maybe I should just tell Seguchi-san about this. He'll know what to do… but then… what if I'm interpreting the whole situation wrongly? What if I'm getting all worked up and worried for nothing? And will Seguchi-san misunderstand my actions? Will he think that I'm still attached to Yuki?_

_Well… it's true that Yuki and I…but…_

"Shuichi! Good morning, my love!"

Shuichi blinked, wide-eyed, as Akiha burst in unexpectedly just as he was halfway through putting on his pants. They stared at each other, before Akiha's eyes trailed down to Shuichi's boxers, causing Shuichi to blush.

"You-" But before Akiha could complete his sentence, he was hit by a pile of old clothes, shoes, a remote control, a mug, a book, and lots more.

"GET OUT, PERVERT!" Shuichi screamed and kicked Akiha out, slamming the door close.

Outside the door, Akiha laid sprawled over the floor, groaning.

"What did you do this time?" Tsuyoshi sighed as he approached the scene lazily. He crossed his arm and leaned against the wall, looking down at Akiha.

"Shouldn't you offer me a hand here?" Akiha grumbled as he stood up. "Shuichi is so violent! He didn't have to kick me out like that! Though he looked so cute doing that half-naked…"

"It's half-DRESSED, not half-naked…"

"Does it matter? They're the same! Only that half-naked sounds so much sexier…"

Tsuyoshi rolled his eyes. "You never learn, do you?" He knocked on Shuichi's door. "Shuichi, are you done? Open up."

After a few seconds, a fully-clothed Shuichi swung the door open for Tsuyoshi, glaring at Akiha at the same time.

"If you say a word… anything stupid… I'll kill you." He threatened dangerously.

Akiha flashed him a bright, cheery smile before following Tsuyoshi in.

"Haruko's out with Jun… or rather, Jun dragged Haruko out with her to get some stuff… probably Yuki Eiri's books. She seems rather excited to get Yuki-san's autograph the next time she sees him." Tsuyoshi stated as a matter of fact. "Anyway, she wanted me to pass on a message to you. She wants to give you a new haircut tomorrow morning."

"Huh? That's quite sudden…" Shuichi replied, staring into his reflection in the mirror. He blew a few stray strands of hair away from his face. "So is there anything else?"

"Well, after working so hard for this past week, there's nothing on the schedule these three days. You guys can go enjoy yourselves. The next interview will take place three days later, together with Tamiya Goushi, a famous photographer in Japan." Tsuyoshi drew the curtains open, revealing the view of a city bustling with life. "Or maybe… Akiha would like to start on his new project… photos around Tokyo…"

Shuichi strolled over to the glass window, roaming his eyes over the city, before settling on the Tokyo Tower far away.

_I remember going there together with Yuki once… those were the good times… _He placed his hands on the window, as a desire to reach out for something welled up in him. _What am I trying to reach out for? The Tokyo Tower? The memories?_

"Shuichi?" Akiha called out tentatively. _There he goes again… putting on that look… such a vulnerable look. It makes one have to urge to hug him close._

Shuichi continued staring wistfully at the tower. _Yuki…_

"Shuichi? Are you listening to me?" Akiha called out louder this time, startling Shuichi out of his stupor.

The boy whipped around to face him. "Yes?"

Akiha eyed him carefully. "Are there any places you wanna take photos of? Or rather, take photos at?"

Shuichi hesitated for a moment before replying. "… Tokyo Tower?"

"Fine with me. Since Jun isn't around, we can't do it today. Let's just go over there now and have a quick look first..."

"Today?" Shuichi frowned for a moment as if trying to remember something. "…I can't! I've got something important to do…"

Tsuyoshi and Akiha raised their eyebrows questioningly. "Where-"

But Shuichi was quick to interrupt Akiha. "I've got a question. Who's Sawada? Is he in charge of some publishing company or a radio program or a TV show?" He was unable to conceal his anxiety. _I'm running out of time! I've got to get to the bottom of this! I can't let someone hurt Yuki…_

Akiha frowned. "Sawada? Why are you asking about that guy so suddenly? Don't tell me you got into trouble and he's after you…"

"No, it's nothing like that. Just tell me who the heck Sawada is!"

"Well… Six months ago, Sawada started out as a co-producer of 'Truth', at J-Works. 'Truth' was an entertainment program that uncovered the true face of big stars. However, in just a month, he took over the whole program as head producer, and the title of that program is now known as 'Beneath that Face'. He's considered quite new to the media industry, but he's well-known for his notorious ways of getting big headlines, trying every way to get hold of any juicy news or gossip of stars. Once he has laid his eyes on you, he'll probably dig up all the newsworthy stuff on you. He can either pull you all the way down from the top, or help you rise to stardom in a flash. He'll do anything to obtain sky-high viewership for his entertainment show."

"…I didn't know that such a crazy, evil and annoying guy existed in Japan…"

Akiha smiled knowingly to himself. "You're wondering why you weren't targeted during your stay here right?"

"…yeah…"

"Haha! You don't need to worry about that… I'll protect you at all costs no matter what, my dear… because you're too precious to me."

"…"

"Aren't you going to say something like 'I love you' or 'Akiha, you're the best'! Not even a word of thanks? You're so heartless… If I wasn't here to protect you, you would have been slapped by countless false headlines and accusations by now, especially so since Yuki Eiri is one of his favorite hotshots…"

"What?" The next words came as a soft curse. "Shit!"

"Wait… does this have something to do with Yuki Eiri? Is that why you're asking me about Sawada? Shuichi, what happened?"

"Nothing! I'm just asking because I'm curious to know who he is since Hiro mentioned him once." Shuichi rushed about the room, picking up his coat, mobile phone, wallet and other necessities, rambling on and on. "I'm late for a meeting with Hiro now… I've gotta run! See you!"

"Shuichi!" Akiha leapt off the couch and shouted after the boy who had just ran out. He met Tsuyoshi's worried eyes. "Damn! Doesn't he know that he's a bad liar by now?"

**xXx xXx**

Shuichi stared at his watch as he sat on the couch outside Tohma's office.

4:19pm

_Is Seguchi-san coming back anytime soon! It's already so late! 'Beneath that Face' airs at 7pm tonight. What should I do!_ _I had decided that the best thing to do was to inform Seguchi-san. He'll definitely know what to do. It doesn't matter if it's true that that woman harbors evil thoughts towards Yuki. Prevention is better than cure, after all…But Seguchi-san is taking too long to return!_

He had been talking to the members of Bad Grasper, their fashion consultant and their crazy manager earlier, but most of his time was spent staring at his watch worriedly.

"Shindou-san, you're still here? Did something bad happen? Tell me about it… we can get the rest of them to help out with the problem!" Sakano peered at Shuichi in concern, turning hysterical gradually.

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine…" Shuichi frowned again and bit his lip anxiously while glancing at his watch again. "Sakano-san, are you sure that Seguchi-san mentioned that he's going to be back by 4?"

"Well, he did say that he'll be back from the meeting at JBC by that time… and I can't get through to his mobile phone…"

_Shit. This isn't good… Seguchi-san may not make it back in time!_

He stood up suddenly. "Sakano-san, can I have a paper and pen? And maybe an envelope?"

Sakano appeared to be surprised. "Sure! Of course!"

Shuichi thanked the faint-hearted producer as he accepted the paper. Pen and envelope brought to him. He scribbled a few words and folded the paper, before slipping it into the envelope, and then sealing it.

"Please pass this to Seguchi-san immediately when he gets back. It's important and urgent and confidential."

Sakano nodded as he received the envelope in his hands, looking somewhat perturbed.

"I've got to go. Please remember to pass it to him. Thank you!" Shuichi's yell grew softer and softer as he ran off towards the lifts.

_I'll just have to try to delay that woman's plans… alone... for the time being._

**xXx xXx**

5.30pm

Shuichi walked along the busy corridors inside J-Works building, his eyes hidden behind a pair of tinted sunglasses. He followed the directions he was given to get to Sawada's office. All of a sudden, a familiar voice drifted into his ears.

"I did it. I passed Sawada everything we dug up about Yuki Eiri. We can just leave the rest up to him. He's pretty delirious now…" Miyabi laughed as she walked pass Shuichi blindly.

_There she is! Lucky! _He turned away, just in case she could recognize him. He watched as she disappeared around the corner, and then turned back to regard the door through which Miyabi had appeared from. _Sawada's office... By the looks of it, she's really up to no good._

He approached the door slowly and cautiously. But before he could reach the doorknob, the door was pushed opened from the inside.

"What interesting news on Yuki Eiri! A video on all the women who slept with him… and even a man! I'll go edit this video now!" A guy who was standing at the doorway cried excitedly. But before that guy could turn to leave, the videotape was snatched out of his hand by some unknown force.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes furiously. "This tape goes nowhere."

Sawada mirrored Shuichi's expression. "Who are you? Hand the tape back to us now, or else…"

The boy removed his sunglasses leisurely and answered Sawada by ripping out the contents of the tape. Sawada sprung out of his seat so forcefully, knocking over his glass of water in his rage.

"Damn you! I'll make you pay for that!" Sawada cursed venomously. "You're… Shindou Shuichi…?"

Shuichi smirked. "That's right."

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm stopping you from broadcasting all these lies."

"Lies! We uncover the truth, Shindou-san."

"Yeah right…"

"Why are you doing this? Can't forget your old flame?"

Shuichi's blood ran cold as he took in those words. He was stumped for that moment. Sawada waved for the guy (whom Shuichi snatched the video from) to leave.

The corners of Sawada's lips curved up into an evil smile. "You won't be able to protect your lover just by doing that. I still have photos and the information from the supposedly anonymous Aizawa-san…"

Shuichi gritted his teeth and stepped further in, eyes settling on the photos and a pile of notes placed on Sawada's desk.

"Uh-uh. I won't let you." Sawada slapped his hand over his precious information.

"Why do you guys always create such problems for us stars!" He cried out irately and apprehensively.

Sawada chuckled. "Isn't that obvious? My only goal is to obtain the highest viewership ratings possible!"

Shuichi was silent for a moment. "Then I'll give you that through other means."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm offering you a deal here. Give me back all those information you collected on Yuki Eiri. **I** will raise the viewership ratings of your show tonight."

"You're trading yourself for Yuki Eiri…?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think that I'll agree? This news on Yuki Eiri may bring about higher ratings than whatever news is there about you. I will not take this risk."

"Are you sure that you'll succeed by broadcasting such stuff about Yuki Eiri? Do you think that Aizawa Tachi would actually admit to saying anything? Do you think that he would dare to confirm his story when other news reporters seek him out? Do you think that Seguchi Touma would just sit by and do nothing? Do you think that Yuki Eiri's fans would believe all these stories? Are you sure that they wouldn't write in to tear your program apart! The company will have no choice but to axe your show by then…" Shuichi slammed his fist onto the desk. "Now, can you still be so confident of yourself? Because I'm sure of one thing… Seguchi Touma will be able to cover it up and protect Yuki Eiri. Then, he'll come after you."

They glared at each other for a few minutes. Sawada seemed to be contemplating Shuichi's words.

"I'll provide you with high ratings out of my own free accord. It's a safer route to take, and it's a sure-win. I can guarantee you that." Shuichi stared directly into Sawada's eyes. "Do you think that I, Shindou Shuichi, can't command enough fans to push your program to the no. 1 spot? I'm a famous model and the ex-lead singer of Bad Luck. Ever since I've returned, there were so many reports focused on me, especially the part about me quitting singing… being unable to sing. Then… what if I were to sing on your show?"

_God…what am I doing? Talking about singing like that…Besides, I was never good with words. And now, I'm actually threatening and persuading a crazy guy with words! I can't believe it! Is it working? To pit myself against the popularity of Yuki is quite silly! No matter what, any reports about Yuki would definitely draw more attention than anything else!_ Shuichi surveyed the man before him. He let out a mental sigh of relief when he saw the man wavering.

_I need a little more… something more… so that he'll accept the deal… but what else can I offer!_

"On top of that, I'll let you reveal one of the photographs from my secret collection. It's a never-been-released-before photo. How about that?" An abrupt voice interrupted.

Startled, both Sawada and Shuichi stare at the man who had just entered the room quietly.

"Akiha!" Shuichi exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here!"

"Saving the damsel in distress, Shu-chan! (hearts)" Akiha produced a victory hand signal, smiling. He then turned serious as he faced Sawada. "We will not lose to the popularity of Yuki Eiri, Sawada-san. Consider it carefully."

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

The room grew stuffy as minutes passed.

"Fine. I'll accept your deal. Shindou-san will sing, and Sakurai-san will reveal the photo from his secret collection." Sawada grunted and threw his pile of information on Yuki to Shuichi. "Don't worry, Miyabi had told me to take care of that info as it was the ONLY copy… You can search my desk or even the room to make sure that I didn't secretly stash away any of that information."

Half an hour later, Shuichi and Akiha were seated on a couch at the filming area, waiting for the 'live' telecast to begin. Shuichi had his hands clasped tightly together, and he was staring down listlessly at his hands.

"Shuichi? Are you sure you want to do this?" Akiha watched the boy worriedly.

"I'm fine… we made a deal…" He lifted his gaze up towards Akiha. "Anyway, where did that photograph come from?"

"Well, it so happens that I had brought it here from America when I came, as I was still in the midst of contemplation if I should exhibit it. Although I chose not to, but it wouldn't hurt revealing it anyway…"

"Is it really ok? I mean… I know what your secret collection means to you. You hardly allow anyone to see it… those photographs are especially precious to you, am I right?"

"Yes… but like I said, it doesn't matter if this particular photograph is revealed to the public or not. Don't worry, I'm ok with this…" Akiha regarded Shuichi closely. "I'm more bothered about you. Are you sure you can sing?"

Silence.

"I'll have to… somehow…"

Akiha sighed. "You shouldn't need to go through all this… Why do you sacrifice to protect him so? You know very well that you'll only hurt yourself by doing this…"

"I-" Shuichi trailed off and he looked away_. I can't answer that… I don't even know the answer myself…_

"Ok! The broadcast begins in 1 minute! Get ready!" Someone shouted.

…3…2…1…ACTION!

"Welcome to the latest episode of 'Beneath that Face'! Tonight, we have the honor of having the champion celebrities, Sakurai Akiha and Shindou Shuichi, with us!"

Both Akiha and Shuichi smiled professionally for the camera.

"Now… my dear viewers at home, do not switch the channel for the next 45 minutes! 'Cause if you do, you miss the wonderful lineup of programs we have for you this night! Firstly, Sakurai-san will be revealing one of his beautiful photographs from his secret collection. What's the secret behind this 'secret collection'? You'll have to stay tune to find out! Besides that, we have an even bigger treat for you. Shindou Shuichi, ex-lead singer of Bad Luck… will be **singing **for us again… but only on this show. That's why you should glue your eyes to the TV for the next 45 minutes. But now, we'll break for the commercials… just so that you can inform all your friends on these wonderful gifts we're offering to all of you!"

(3 minutes of commercial break)

"Back to the show! Sakurai-san, can you please tell us what's so special about this photo you're about to show us?"

Akiha closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. "It's a photograph of my younger sis… who died 6 years ago. She was only 15 then."

Shuichi almost choked on… air. He whipped around, staring at Akiha in shock.

"She had contracted a terminal illness. And her last wish was to have her picture taken by me…" Akiha smiled sadly then. "I had brought the work over, intending to exhibit it here since she loved our home country a lot. But I couldn't muster up enough courage. I wanted to keep all the memories of her to myself… I didn't want her photograph to be ruined…" Akiha stood up and stepped in front of the large veiled photograph that was placed on a stand beside the couch. "But I was silly. I didn't realize… her shining beauty should be shared to the world…"

He tugged at the red veil which then fell off slowly, revealing a young lady sitting down on the lush green grass with tiny flowers blooming all around, leaning against a towering tree which possessed an ancient beauty at the same time. She was pretty… with features so fine, shoulder-length jet black hair, and a bright warm smile that seemed to hide all the pain she suffered due to her illness. Dressed in a plain white sleeveless dress and with a shawl shielding her bare arms from the cold, she looked absolutely angelic and happy.

"The title of this photograph is… Sakurai Kaori."

Shuichi found himself unable to react, or even think. This was too appalling. He never knew that Akiha had a sister! All he had heard was that Akiha's family members had all passed away by the time he was 18, leaving him alone in this world. And he had assumed that by 'family members', it meant Akiha's father, mother, and maybe his grandparents. But a sister!

"Tha-thank you very much, Sakurai-san, for sharing such an exquisite work with us. I'm deeply sorry about your sister… for now, let's take a commercial break."

Akiha sighed and flopped back down onto the couch. He glanced sideways at the boy who was still astounded by the revelation. "What?"

"Was what you just said really true?"

"You don't believe me? Do you think I'll joke about something like this!"

Shuichi detected a level of anger, disappointment and hurt in that reply. "I'm sorry… I just didn't know…"

Akiha shrugged. "I don't like talking about my past…"

Shuichi bit his lip guiltily. "I'm sorry. If it wasn't to help me, you wouldn't need to go through all that…"

Akiha chuckled softly, reverting back to his old self. "No… it's ok. You gave me the courage to do that. If it wasn't for you, I would never be able to share with the world what a wonderful sister I had… Thank you…"

"But-"

"Don't worry so much about me. I'm a grown-up and I can take care of myself. That's how I've been surviving right? You should be more concern about your own matters… are you sure you can do it?"

"… I told you I'll try… and are you implying that I'm still a little kid who doesn't know how to take care of myself!"

"Yes."

Shuichi was seething by now. "You idiot! I'll show you that I can do it!"

"Hey! It's working! We're receiving so many calls about the show! There are many viewers crying over Sakurai-san's photograph, and lots more calling in to wish Shindou-san luck and to proclaim their support for him! Our ratings are sure to soar to the highest level we've ever achieved! It's record-breaking!" A random shout could be heard. "Back to the show!"

"Riiiight! After listening to Sakurai-san's heart-breaking story of his sister, let us now turn our attention to Shindou-san! Shindou-san, tell us… what made you give up singing?"

Shuichi faltered for a moment. "I just wanted to try something new… before I knew it, I had fallen in love with modeling."

"So, is there any chance that you may return to the stage as a singer?"

"… No, not that I know of…"

"Ok… but you're here today to present to OUR viewers a wonderful gift, aren't you?"

"Yes… I'm going to sing just one song for everyone."

"And that song will be…?"

"…… Bad Luck's In the Moonlight." He answered in a tight voice, heart thumping so rapidly that he thought that it was about to burst out from his chest.

"Right! So let's welcome Shindou-san onto the stage! Music please!"

As the opening of the song began, Shuichi stood up with reluctance. He dragged himself over to the center of the stage where the microphone was placed, stepped up to the microphone, and placed his hands over the cold metal. Beads of cold sweat rolled down the sides of his face as he trembled slightly.

_Oh god… I can't breathe! I'm losing to my nervous breakdown! I can't remember the stupid lyrics! _He squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his hold on the cold metal, trying to compose himself. _Think, think, think! I can do this! I have to… for the deal… for Yuki!_

An image of the blond novelist snuck into his mind. A concert, singing up on stage with Sakuma Ryuichi, catching a glimpse of his lover in the crowd, screaming out with joy, singing his heart out with steady eyes on his lover.

_Yuki… I wrote the song… for him…_

He took in a deep breath.

"Orenji iro tsuki yoru ga kuruto kimi no koto o omoi dasu  
kakko tsuketa ore no serifu wa hoka no dare kano serifu de  
fui ni miageru shiruetto kimi no yokogao o terashita  
awai hikari wa ima demo"

His voice grew stronger and more confident.

"nani o matteru kimi wa inai heya  
tokei dake ga ashi oto no youni nemurenai mune ni hibiku  
ima mo matteru hitori tomatteru  
futari mita anohi no tsuki o ima dokode kimi wa miteru"

His heart was wrenching with pain and sorrow as he sang those words loud and clear, as if he had just written the song and sung it for the first time yesterday.

"ore no shigusa manete waratta kimi no koe mo omoi dasu  
kimi to aruku yoru no shiin wa orenji iro photogurafu"

Tears stung his eyes and he fought to hold them back with every ounce of strength he possessed. His voice grew sour with bitterness. His chest ached with agony.

When did singing turned to be such a torturous action?

"kage ni otoshita uso to ore no wagamama o yurushita  
kimi no namida ga ima demo"

He almost choked on the next verse.

"nani mo iwazuni toki wa nagareru  
yagate kuru asa no hisashi ni tokeru youni sora ni kieru  
saigo no yoru wa doko ni mo nakute  
okizari no ore no kokoro o tsuki dake ga ima mo miteru"

A burning realization hit him.

_I hate singing._

**xXx xXx**

Outside the recording room, a man stared at the enormous TV screen in the lobby. His hand was stopped in midair, forgetting its duty of lighting a cigarette. He was transfixed by the TV screen, or rather, by the familiar brown-haired boy who was currently being filmed 'live' on TV.

_I can't believe this… he's singing! He's right here in this building… singing! But why! Back then, when he stayed overnight at my apartment because of the typhoon, he clearly stated that he did not intend to sing ever again. Then… why is he going back on his words now? What's going on?_

"Yuki-sensei, thanks for coming all the way here to pass the drafts to me. I'm sorry I just couldn't get away…" Mizuki smiled apologetically, scratching her head in embarrassment. "Yuki-sensei?"

_Strange… I missed watching him sing like that…And that song… it's **that** song…_

She turned to the TV and realization hit her.

"That's Shindou-san…? He's filming for 'Beneath that Face'? I can't believe he actually did a show for Sawada! And he's singing…"

_I need to see him…_

"Mizuki, do you have any idea which studio is that?"

Mizuki frowned, trying hard to recall. "I think that 'Beneath that Face' is always filmed in studio 3A… it's one of the biggest studios here in J-Works…"

**xXx xXx**

"kimi o matteru tooi omoi demo  
tokei dake ga ashi oto no youni nemurenai mune ni hibiku  
ima mo matteru hitori tomatteru  
futari mita anohi no tsuki o ima dokode kimi wa miteru"

Just as Shuichi completed the song, he released his grip on the microphone and stepped back unsteadily.

_I did it… Yuki's safe…_

At that moment, all trains of thoughts were lost in his mind. Darkness overtook everything.

**xXx xXx**

_Shuichi!_ Yuki felt his heart contract as he watched Shuichi collapse right after ending his song. He spun around on his heels and started for the recording studio Shuichi was in. _God… please let him be fine!_

"Thanks. I've got to go." Yuki turned and advanced briskly towards the lifts, heading for the said studio.

**xXx xXx**

"You really scared the hell out of me back there! Are you really ok now? I can carry you back to the hotel…"

"No thanks! I'm fine now! I just fainted due to stress and nervousness back there… Don't talk about it any further…" Shuichi snapped at the annoying photographer.

"It took you 3 minutes to regain consciousness. I was so afraid that you might never wake up…"

Shuichi swung a fist at Akiha, missing as the photographer ducked. "Are you cursing me! Idiot!"

"Hey, hey! How can you say that about me? I helped you out back then, didn't I? I even sacrificed one of my secret photographs… and that's a photograph of my dead sister. You should be grateful to me!" Akiha crossed his arms and looked away.

They were silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to remind you of those sad memories. But I'm honestly grateful to you for helping me. Honest!" Shuichi gazed sincerely at Akiha (who had turned back to face him) with his large gleaming violet eyes.

"You don't need to feel bad… just thank me with a gift."

"Ok… what would you like to have?"

Akiha grinned. "A kiss."

Shuichi froze in his tracks. "What! Stop joking here, pervert!"

Akiha halted as well, stepping up in front of the boy, his expression and voice all serious. "I'm not kidding. Can't you do it? To thank me for saving your Yuki-san?"

Shuichi stared into Akiha's emerald eyes, trying to decide if he was joking. He looked away for a second, before directing his gaze back to the photographer, crossing his arms. "Fine. Just this once. A simple, quick kiss."

Akiha smirked. "Do you remember when I turned up suddenly at your friend's birthday party that night I arrived in Japan? And how I said to try a passionate wet kiss the next time?"

A vein trembled at the corner of Shuichi's forehead. "No way."

"I insist on it. A kiss without using the tongues cannot be counted a kiss at all!" The platinum blonde tilted Shuichi's chin up, his voice dropping charmingly low.

Shuichi gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Fine! But only this once!"

Akiha wrapped his arms around Shuichi's waist, while the latter grasped onto the former's jacket.

At the other end of the desolated corridor, a figure appeared.

The pair leaned in for a kiss, parting their lips to allow each other's entry. They had no idea that someone was watching them as their lips connected. A pair of narrowed golden eyes reflected anger, jealousy, betrayal and hurt in them.

Although he hadn't expected such a scene to have such a humongous painful effect on him, Yuki Eiri felt as if the world had crashed down unto him.

**xXx tbc xXx**

* * *

**At last! God… I'm so tired! This chapter is hard… I'm sorry if it's lame and yucky or whatever. I did try to edit it, checking for disconnected, weird parts and language. But it's already 4 in the morning, and I'm really too sleepy to edit it well! Therefore, please tell me if there's anything that's strange or doesn't make sense. I'll try to correct or explain it in the next chapter. But if there are problems with my language, grammar or vocabulary or tenses, please ignore them and pardon me! As long as you understand what's going on… I admit that my language sucks. I'm trying to read up on grammar… especially tenses. :)**

**Anyway, next up: Tohma, Shuichi, Yuki, Haruko (since I'm neglecting her), Miyabi, Plan B (which has something to do with our dear Shu). Get the drift? Lol… Hope that you'll continue reading this fic!**

**By the way, I've grown to enjoy writing about Akiha and Atsushi. Haha! Not to mention all the YukixShu parts. I guess my portrayal of Akiha is somewhat based on Ayame from Fruits Basket. And Atsushi… he's just like Tohma. He's forever smiling gently, but the smile hardly reaches his eyes. The only difference is that Tohma is hiding his monstrous side behind his smile, but Atsushi is truly a nice guy! He's just quiet (introverted)! He keeps his feelings to himself, he observes others, and he's a lone-wolf by nature.**

**Well, that's what I think of Akiha and Atsushi. What about you guys?**

**Thank you all for everything! Please don't flame me… I'm tired…**


	15. Misunderstood

**Don't worry, I'll definitely try to do more YukiShu towards the back. Bear with the angst for now… Lol… XD I wonder if I need to change the rating of this fic when I add the lemon in. Hmm…**

**I like to see Yuki get jealous and hurt once in a while. I mean, how many times had Shuichi gone through that? Even now, Shu's still suffering. And, Yuki getting hurt means that he cares… I love that!**

**Hmm… I wanna write a dark, gloomy, morbid, sad, crazy fic. Argh… I'm a sadist! Haha! And I wanna write fics that uses first person narrative… meaning that you see things happening from one person's point of view. All his thoughts and feelings and words… I think that such fics are so interesting! But then, there are two main characters in Gravitation. Who should I choose as my first person narrator then?**

**Well, I've got to wait for my exams to be over before I do anything. Sigh… exams… sigh. I won't be updating so soon 'cause of exams.**

**Some particular reviews that I'd like to answer:  
Oolong cha**: Yes, Akiha in this story is modeled after the Akiha in Hana Kimi. I love Akiha because he's so crazy and cute! But I like the sensei more! What's his name?  
**Destiny:** Thanks for the correction! I wonder why MS Word doesn't correct my spelling. Grr…  
**Wonderful Teru: **Thanks for your long review! I agree that Akiha and Atsushi are nice. About Yuki and Shu, my lemon scene is coming out in chapter 18. I'll try to make it as hot as I can, but honestly, it's my first time writing a lemon scene and well… I may not do a good job of it. Haha! I'm not a lemony writer, but I'll try my best!  
**Invader Nicole: **I'm sorry! Hope that I didn't reply late! Go ahead and use it! I would love to see how the photo turns out too. Hee…  
**Blah: **Sorry, but I don't understand your review. "Mou ichi do" is Japanese, meaning "One more time".  
**Anime Ambreen and Poke' Maniac: **I agree that some parts are a lil' weird. Sometimes, I'm so desperate to force my ideas to link. But, hope you continue reading!  
**To those who absolutely hates Miyabi: **Well, the only reason she's out to harm Yuki is that she's jealous of his achievements. Yeah, just continue hating her. She's a bitch.  
**To the rest of my reviewers:** Thanks for all the reviews! Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you guys like this! xoxo I hope that you guys don't feel left out that I did not answer your reviews individually. It's just that if I were to do that, we'll never get to the chapter. Haha! But, I really appreciate all your reviews! They keep me going! **Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!**

**Original Work: ****グラビテ－シュン（村上真紀）****  
DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.**

* * *

**MOU ICHI DO  
****もう一度　**

**Chapter 15 – Misunderstood**

Tohma's heart almost ceased beating as he stared at the note in fear and disbelief.

"Seguchi-san,  
Yuki is in danger. I'm quite certain that Tanaka Miyabi, the new novelist, had met up with Aizawa Taki to pry some information out of him, and she had gotten news of the events that had happened in New York. I overheard her saying that she'll be meeting Sawada Izumi of J-Works Media in the evening to broadcast all the information she had collected about Yuki's past, his life, his secret and everything. I hope that you would be able to read this message on time and help Yuki. Although I'm not entirely sure of the situation, it would be best if you'd check it out. - Shuichi"

"Tohma… what's wrong?" Mika's forehead creased in worry as she watched the expression change on her husband's face.

"Eiri-san…" Tohma narrowed his eyes, livid.

Mika widened her eyes in shock. _That look… he looks like he's about to kill someone._ "Did something happen to Eiri!"

She grew impatient and annoyed when Tohma didn't answer her, and so, snatched the note from his hand. This seemed to snap Tohma out of his stupor. He rushed to the phone and started making calls.

"What's this?" Mika's voice dropped to an anxious whisper as fear overshadowed her. "Shuichi left a note? Eiri's in danger? What does this means!"

Mika watched apprehensively as Tohma frowned while talking on the phone. After what seemed like eternity, he replaced the phone onto the receiver. "So? What's going on exactly? Is Eiri ok? You can settle everything right? Tohma! Say something!"

"Eiri-san is fine… I've called him to come over now. It seems like someone thwarted that woman's plans. And from what I was told, that person seems to be-" A few knocks on the door interrupted Tohma, and both husband and wife turned to eye the door just as it swung on its hinges, opening slowly. "Shindou-san…!"

"Shuichi?" Mika looked even more confused now. "Why are you here?"

"Ah… Seguchi-san, Mika-san, I'm sorry, but your secretary wasn't at her seat, so forgive me for intruding so suddenly without any notice…" Shuichi gave a small, embarrassed smile. His voice was strangely hoarse. He was leaning against the door, as though too weak to stand on his own.

"There's no need to apologize. We were just about to get to you. I'm so sorry, I was caught up with work earlier, and after that I had to accompany Mika-san to the hospital, and so my mobile phone was switched off."

Shuichi looked down onto the floor. "I see… but it's ok now…" He looked up uncertainly and started towards his former boss. "Here…"

He held out a big brown envelope that contained all the gathered materials of Yuki, including photographs and everything else. "I got these back, but I guess you'll have to trace the photographer for the films and negatives. I think he's called Hideaki or something…"

For a few moments, all Tohma did was to stare at Shuichi, as if searching for something within those violet orbs. Finally, he reached out and accepted the envelope when Shuichi, sensing something amiss, avoided further eye contact. Skimming through the contents of the envelope, a quiet mountain of rage grew stealthily in Tohma. All hell's gonna break lose. Soon.

Mika too, had been peering over Tohma's shoulders for a view of the huge pile of photographs, scribbled notes, cassette tapes and so on. "Wait… does this mean that the person who had ruined that woman's plan to help Eiri is… you?" She turned to regard Shuichi with shock and suspicion. (Suspecting that Shuichi still loves Yuki.)

"I was told that you made a deal with Sawada to appear and sing on his show in exchange for these…" Tohma frowned. "But I thought you didn't want to sing anymore..."

"Yes… but I…" He trailed off and frowned, before bursting out in anxiety. "How did you know about the deal? If you've heard of it, does that mean that there're rumors like that going around? What if the truth about this whole matter, the deal and Yuki's past and all, managed to leak out still? Is Yuki still in danger!"

Tohma gave a creepy smile and casually threw the envelope, along with its contents, onto his desk. "Don't worry, I got that information from a trusted someone… maybe you could call him a spy I sent to work under Sawada ever since that bastard placed his attention on Eiri-san. Anyway, **_I_** will make sure this stays between us and Sawada, or else… It also seems like Tanaka-san needs to be given a warning, along with Aizawa-san. There's always a price to pay if they want to fool around."

Shuichi gulped nervously, even though he was relieved. _I just remembered that this man isn't someone you can mess around with. He's scary…_

"You got to speak to Eiri about this too. If only he would stop fooling around so much too…" Mika sighed. "Is he really coming now? Seriously, he has to know when to cut down on having 'fun'. Doing whatever he likes without restrain will cause more problems like this to appear…"

"He said that he was on the way."

Shuichi stiffened as he heard that. _Yuki's coming? When had I last seen Yuki? Ah, the typhoon… right. It had been so awkward then. Shit. There's no way I can face him now. Especially after singing that song…_

At that, he snapped out of his daze. "If there's nothing else, I should be going. Akiha's waiting for me in the car." He turned to leave.

"Shindou-san, wait!" Tohma called out after the boy. A question hung at the tip of his tongue as he recalled:

"_Don't tell me what to do. And besides, it's kinda late for that. That stupid brat is in my house right now. In fact, he has been here since yesterday afternoon."_

"_How did you know about the deal? If you've heard of it, does that mean that there're rumors like that going around? What if the truth about this whole matter, the deal and Yuki's past and all, managed to leak out still? Is Yuki still in danger!"_

"Why?"

Shuichi paused at the door and mumbled softly, feigning innocence. "Why what?"

"Why… did you go to such an extent to help Eiri-san?"

Both Tohma and Mika waited for an answer from Shuichi, but the boy appeared to be waiting for an answer himself too. All three of them held their breath unknowingly as the silence weighed down on them.

"Because it's only right to help a _friend_." The answer was clear and simple, yet it possibly harbored more than that. He took a step out of the office. "Oh, Seguchi-san? Please don't mention this to Yuki."

Catching a glimpse of the doubtful looks on the married couple's faces, he gave a faint smile and continued. "Don't worry. I don't want to complicate matters too." His voice dropped to a whisper, yet loud enough for them to hear. "I understand that we can never return to the past." And with that, he left.

As he neared the elevators, he shook his head to clear his mind off the events that had just taken place, breathing a sigh of relief mentally. _I guess everything is fine now… Seguchi-san will settle the rest. I seriously hope that they don't misunderstand anything though…_ He pressed the button and waited. _But what do I mean by 'misunderstand'? I know what they're thinking… about me and Yuki and all. But is it really just a misunderstanding? Or do I really feel that way…?_

Ding. The elevator sounded as it reached the 20th storey, and to his shock and despair, the doors opened to reveal a familiar figure.

_Yuki…_

Unwittingly, he drew in a sharp intake of breathe. His heart plummeted as he met those usually alluring cat-like eyes, and a prickling, uncomfortable sensation crept into him. Those eyes were cold and hard, tinged with detest and anger. Wordlessly, the novelist brushed past him as if he was not there, as if he was nothing.

…Too worthless to be acknowledged.

Shuichi stood paralyzed in the same spot for what seemed like eternity, even after Yuki was out of sight. When Yuki stepped pass him, everything had turned numb. There was absolutely nothing in him - feelings, thoughts and all. But as the numbness passed, and waves of anguish, disappointment came crashing down on him, he had to lean against the wall for support. It was almost too much to bear.

A wave of nausea hit him as he stumbled into the elevator unsteadily, desperate to run away… far away from Yuki, far away from those cutting thoughts that were haunting him.

_Again, he's ignoring me. How many times has that happened in the past? How many times have I cried due to that? But the pain refuses to go away. The pain will not go away… for I know he'll carry on doing that. To him, I'm always so insignificant. _

**xXx xXx**

Shuichi laid on his bed, hidden completely under the covers, in a fetal position. Dark rings encircled his eyes as he continued staring blankly into space, unmoving. He had not slept a wink ever since that encounter with Yuki at the elevators. That scene had been playing in his mind repeatedly throughout the whole night, until his brain just couldn't take it anymore and blanked out, leaving him in a state of hollowness and paralysis.

Just then, the door of his hotel room clicked opened.

"Shu-chan…" A soft, inquiring voice called out. "Why are you still in bed! I rang the bell countless times and knocked on the door repeatedly, but there was no answer. Do you know how worried I was? Come on, get up! Oniichan, Akiha, and Jun have been out since early morning to god knows where. It's just the two of us left. Why don't we go out and have fun today? Get up, get up, get up!"

Shuichi heard the curtains being drawn open.

"Shu-chan!" A pause. "Shu-chan… Are you feeling unwell? There's something not quite right with you since last night. Was it because you sang 'live' on TV last night? I'm so sorry for not helping you, even though I overheard that conversation about Yuki-san too…" Haruko pulled the covers off Shuichi, who began showing some signs of life as he looked up at her. "You can talk to me… don't bottle up everything. Let me help you…"

She flopped down onto the bed beside the boy and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, trailing on to his lips, while wrapping her hands around his neck. Shuichi responded to the kiss, and somehow managed to flip on top of Haruko as their kiss deepened. They only parted when forced to catch their breath. As they realized the awkward position they were in, both blushed.

_What am I doing! This is so embarrassing… Is it the aftermath of the encounter with Yuki? Or am I really that sexually-deprived? Urgh… Come to think of it, this is weird… Haruko's a girl… Wait. It's only supposed to be weird if two people of the same sex make out. Shit. What's wrong with me! But… I've never been on the top before… ARGH! WHY AM I EVEN THINKING SUCH THOUGHTS!_

"What thoughts?" Haruko whispered, blushing even more furiously.

"Huh?" And when he realized that he had voiced out the last line of his thought, Shuichi's blush deepened too. "Nothing! Honestly, nothing!" He scrambled to get off Haruko, but the girl held onto his arm.

"Shu-chan, do you remember… what we talked about before coming to Japan?" She turned to the side shyly, avoiding Shuichi's eyes.

"Huh?" Shuichi blinked, clueless.

"You know… what we mentioned to otousan…"

Realization hit him. He blushed.

"Er… yeah…"

"Are you still serious about it?"

Shuichi bit his lip. _Am I serious about it? Truth to be told, I was never sure of it… _A flashback of yesterday's events assaulted him. _Yuki hates me. I could see it in his eyes. He hates me. He detests me totally._

He smiled (a little sadly). "Yes, I'm sure." _Am I doing this only because of what happened with Yuki? ...No. It can't be. I love Haruko. _"And you?"

"Wha-what are you saying?" Haruko babbled nervously. "Of course I am!" She blushed yet again. "Don't you think I should meet your parents then? Maybe we can hold a party here… I mean, it's impossible for your family and all your friends to fly all the way to America..."

Shuichi frowned thoughtfully. "That's true. I bet Hiro and the rest of them will never stop laughing and teasing me when I tell them that we're getting engaged." He paused and bent down placed a quick, chaste kiss on Haruko's lips. "Er… didn't you say you wanted to go out? I'll go wash up and change now. Why don't you wait for me at the lobby or something? I'll be down right away!"

"Yeah, sure! I'll wait for you at the lobby…" Haruko stuttered and smiled shyly before she left.

_Phew… that was so… embarrassing. Getting engaged? Me? It sounds like a dream… yet it's a dream that I've never dreamt of before. My dreams had always been of a certain someone I could never have… _

In a flash, he had brushed his teeth and changed into jeans and a casual blue T-shirt with a black jacket over it. It was awkward when they met again in the lobby, but this was quickly forgotten as they went through the day, shopping, playing around, eating, catching a movie, holding hands, and everything else fun.

**xXx xXx**

Yuki tapped his cigarette against the edge of the ashtray, mindlessly flicking from channel to channel using the remote control. He recalled what Tohma had said the night before, about Tanaka Miyabi and her silly plot.

_That bitch…_

A flash of light brown hair and violet eyes intruded his thoughts.

_Bitch huh?_

The boy standing on the tips of his toes, reaching up to kiss a certain platinum blonde.

_Damn._

The doorbell rang, cutting into his thoughts. Assuming that it was Tohma or Mika, he ignored it, hoping that whoever that was, he or she would leave soon. But luck wasn't on his side. The bell continued ringing with increasing urgency.

Finally, deciding that it was better to settle it once and for all, he got up and flung the door open; ready to snap the party's head off.

And boy, he almost carried out that intention when he realized exactly who was at his door.

Tanaka Miyabi.

"Damn you, Yuki Eiri. You fucking bastard!" She caught the collar of Yuki's shirt in a death grip and glared at him venomously. "I can't believe you got away with it! And how dare you pull that shit on me! Getting publishers to drop my works! What right do you have to do that! Your novels are the ones that are polluting the world. They're a useless bunch of crap! So how dare you try to stop me from writing! You-"

Enough was enough.

Yuki slapped her hands away and gripped her wrists tightly, matching her glare with much more intensity. "Are you finished? I'm in no mood to deal with **sluts** right now, so leave before you piss me off any further. I've got no interest in your life, your career, and your problems. You were the one who started all this, so there's no point crying now. Brainless bitch."

She struggled for release from his grip. "I know everything about you. You're a murderer. Nothing more than that. You don't even have the right to live in this world. Don't think I'm going to give up just like that. That cheap slut actually managed to save you this time. I'm going to make sure that he isn't around to save you the second time. I'm going to show him that he'll pay for poking his nose into matters that do not concern him."

Yuki grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of Miyabi's head and pulled hard, forcing her to look up at him. "One advice, whore… you'll pay for messing with him and me too." And with that, he pushed her out mercilessly and slammed the door close, looking as if he could kill someone right then and there.

_Stupid slut. There'll be hell to pay if you continue to mess with Tohma._

**xXx xXx**

Night fell and they were on their way to meet up with the rest – Akiha, Tsuyoshi, and Jun.

"Argh… I just realized I left my mobile phone back in my hotel room. Did you bring yours?" Shuichi asked.

Haruko frowned and searched her pockets and her bag. "Shit. I don't remember where I left it."

Shuichi stopped in his tracks. "Then how are we going to contact Akiha? Do you know where to meet them?"

"Yeah… Oniichan had to meet up with Seguchi-san to discuss some matters. Otousan called earlier this morning. So we're meeting them at NG Productions."

"WHAT!"

Haruko jumped at the sudden exclamation. "Is something wrong with that?"

"N-no… I'm sorry. I'm just a little taken aback. I mean… I didn't know Miyamoto-ojisan called… Let's get going then." Shuichi reached out for Haruko's hand to lead her on. _There's no way I can enter that building after what happened last night. Nevermind… I'll just get Haruko to inform Akiha while I wait at the entrance. Damn. This sucks._

He was pulled back abruptly.

"Haruko?" He followed Haruko's gaze and realized that she was staring at a majestic building that they just happened to be walking by.

It was the newly built NG Productions branch building that was not officially opened yet even though it was perfectly ready for use. The opening ceremony will only take place next month, where half of NG's workers and artistes will be stationed there. Although it was known as the branch office, it actually offers larger recording studios, new equipment, and many other new facilities, including an indoor concert hall. It was also modeled like a private apartment instead of an office building, being bounded by walls, with a main gate where the security guardhouse was present. Furthermore, it was quite close to the main NG building for convenience's sake (so that Tohma could move from one building to another in approximately 5 minutes by car, and 20 minutes by foot. Hee.)

"Ne, Shu-chan… Let's go in and have a look."

Shuichi turned to regard Haruko with utter disbelief. "What! What for? It's not officially opened."

"But we won't be here for the opening ceremony, and that means we don't get to see what it's like until the next time we're here in Japan. And that might mean months or even years!"

"But why must you insist on checking it out?"

"I don't know. Just to have a look around. I wonder what it looks like inside… with the new facilities and all. Maybe Miyamoto Works can make use of the same design!"

Shuichi stared at her in exasperation. "But it's already so late. Can't we come back another time during the day?"

"Oh, come on, Shu-chan! Since we're already here, might as well go in now…" Haruko made her way to the entrance, without waiting for Shuichi's consent.

"What are you guys doing here? This isn't a place for kids to have fun. Now, leave." A security guard stepped up in front of the couple, preventing them from entering any further.

Haruko jabbed Shuichi in the chest with her elbow, who winced mentally before slipping off his sunglasses (used to conceal his identity).

"Sorry, I'm Shindou Shuichi, and this is my girlfriend, Miyamoto Haruko. We're friends of Seguchi-san… in fact, I used to work for him. Do you remember?" Shuichi smiled nervously.

The guard frowned. "I'm not interested in playing games with you. Now, leave before I force you to."

"Hey, Ishi! What's going on!" A younger guard came jogging towards them.

"This kid here claims to be Seguchi-san's friend, and he wants to enter the building…"

The young guard turned to regard Shuichi and Haruko. His eyes widened in shock.

_Ah… he recognizes me…_

"You're Shindou Shuichi, aren't you! Oh my god… It's a pleasure to meet you in person!" He grabbed Shuichi's hand and starting shaking it vigorously. "My sister is a huge fan of yours! And frankly speaking, I love your songs too! You're a model now eh? We were so sad when you quit Bad Luck. But we're still fans of yours! The photographs of you at the exhibition were so lovely!"

Shuichi laughed and thanked the guard, trying to be polite. _When is he ever going to stop! _"I'm really grateful for your support… er…"

"You can call me Kyo! And this is my partner, Ishi. There's another pair of guard patrolling the area too…"

"…Kyo-san. You see, we would like to go in and have a look. Truth to be told, we won't be able to attend the opening ceremony as we're returning to America soon. But, Seguchi-san said that we could have a look around whenever we want (which was a lie… actually), and we just happened to pass by… is it convenient to go in and have a little tour around? I know it's late and all, but…"

"Of course it's ok! If Seguchi-san said it's ok, then go ahead!" Kyo turned to Ishi. "Right, Ishi?"

Ishi grunted and walked away, not bothering himself with this matter any further.

Kyo grinned and motioned for Shuichi and Haruko to follow him. "There's no one in there… the cleaners just left. The individual rooms in the building are not locked. The air-con is still working, and I'll get the elevators started for you. But I can only power on the lights for the lower levels. Is that alright for the two of you?"

"Of course. Thanks!"

As they entered the building, and Shuichi felt a surge of excitement welled up inside him. He couldn't wait to see what new facilities this building had in store for them…

"How lucky… they just entered the building and there're only four guards around. We can easily take them out." A guy in the shadows smirked and signaled for the rest to follow him. "Let's go."

**xXx tsuzuku xXx

* * *

**

**Done at last! I planned to execute plan B in this chapter, but eventually it turned out to be too long, so I decided to split it into 2 chapters instead. Yup, more of Plan B in the next chapter. Hopefully I can get it done soon even though I'm having exams. My exams stretch until the beginning of May… there're many breaks in between papers.**

**Oh yeah… it's simple to throw all sticky problems to Tohma and get him to settle it. Haha! I don't even need to explain how they managed to get Sawada to keep to his word, or how theytracked downHideaki. "Leave it all to Seguchi Tohma! He'll get it settled the Seguchi Tohma way!" Lol!**

**See ya guys soon!**


	16. Help

**Hi! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait! I finished exams 2 weeks ago, and was out partying right after that. Then I had to go for an operation to extract my wisdom tooth and immediately after that, I fell sick (cough, flu, fever). Urgh… It was a living hell! I took a week to recover.**

**Yeah, so that's why I took so long. Plus the fact that I'm into Prince of Tennis now. Hmm…**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**Mou Ichi Do  
****もう一度**

**Chapter 16 – The Only Name**

Ishi was preparing to take a short nap when he noticed the shadows that loomed over him. But before he could even turn around, he was hit on the back of his head. He collapsed in a split second.

"Move him somewhere less conspicuous." The first shadow hissed to the other two. "And make sure you don't get caught on the security cameras."

In the process of moving the unconscious Ishi away, Kyo appeared from the building after making sure that Shuichi and Haruko had reached the second level safely.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Kyo ran towards the thugs and knocked down the one who was charging at him. He whipped around to face the other two and lash out a series of kicks, punches and arm-wringing moves. But he was outnumbered - three versus one. The three thugs charged at him, sending a deadly punch into him stomach, while another rammed an elbow down hard onto his shoulder. As Kyo collapsed onto the ground, the thugs sent more kicks flying into him, leaving him in a bloody mess, before dragging him out of sight.

"Now… let's go find our prey…" The leader drawled in a sick excitement.

Meanwhile, in the building, Shuichi and Sakura roamed around the studios, the meeting rooms, the waiting rooms and almost every other room, including a restaurant, on the third and fourth levels, their eyes wide opened.

"Oh my god… this place rocks!" Haruko squealed and started bouncing on her toes every now and then. "Don't you think so, Shu-chan?"

"Yeah… this is awesome… indescribable…" Shuichi breathed in awe. _Everything's so new and spacious… and whoa…_

Suddenly, a ringing tone echoed throughout the empty corridors.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Haruko started rummaging through her bag.

"Oops…" She smiled sheepishly as she held out her mobile phone, which had been hiding in her make-up pouch. "Hello? Jun?"

**xXx xXx**

Akiha sipped on his cup of coffee, his eyes never leaving the blond novelist who sat next to him in the office of the president of NG.

"Are you sure you're not interested in being my model? Just for one photo shoot?" Akiha frowned thoughtfully.

Yuki glared sideways at Akiha. "N.O. NO. Which part of 'NO' don't you understand!"

"Hmm… but you have the makings of a top model. Besides, you'll be a perfect partner for Shuichi."

Yuki gritted his teeth in annoyance.

Tohma chuckled. "Sakurai-san, stop making things difficult for Eiri-san. He's famous enough without having to be a top model…"

Akiha laughed. "Now that's true… hahaha!"

"What are you doing at the NG branch building? It's not yet opened to public, isn't it?" Jun glanced at Akiha worriedly, while Tohma raised his eyebrows at that.

"Wait… you're telling me that you wanted to see how it looks like on the inside and the guard recognized Shuichi and let you guys in? Are both of you mad? It's already 8 at night! And we're supposed to meet here at NG!"

Akiha motioned for Jun to pass the phone. "Haruko? Can you pass the phone to Shuichi?"

("He refuses to speak to you.")

"What! What did I do to deserve that! Ok then, would you be so kind as to pass a message to my honey? Tell him that I'll be there at the branch building in 20 minutes time. And then, we can kiss and make up. Get it?"

("…so we're meeting here at the branch building instead? Okay then, see you.")

"Remember to pass him my mes-" The line went dead before Akiha could finish. He turned to Jun pathetically. "She hung up on me! And my Shuichi refused to speak to me! Fine, then we'll just have to go to them… right after Tsuyoshi returns!"

Jun ignored him and continued examining her nails.

"All of you are evil... Hey, Yuki-san! Where are you going!" The door slammed close behind Yuki as he practically stormed out of the office. "Chi'… everyone's ignoring me…" Desperate for attention, he turned back to the all-time smiling Seguchi Tohma.

**xXx xXx**

Shuichi and Haruko moved on and reached a lounge, where there were many small tables and comfy cushions, a jukebox at one corner, and rows of wine and wine glasses behind the bar top.

_This is just like a five or six star hotel, isn't it!_

"I would love to work here!" Haruko smiled dreamily.

Shuichi grimaced. _Work here? Maybe that would be possible… IF Bad Luck still existed. _He ran his hand across the bar counter sadly.

"Haruko, let's-"

"Ouch!" A shout of pain rang out suddenly.

Harsh whispers followed. "Be quiet, you moron! They'll hear us before we find them! And if that happens and they managed to escape, I won't be able to experience the fun of tearing that model's pretty face into pieces. They should be somewhere close…"

Shuichi froze in fear as his heart hammered against his chest. He didn't like the sound of that. Those voices… those men… if he was right, there were three of them. They were definitely up to no good. And they were after him.

Shuichi met the fear in Haruko's eyes, and silenced her with one look when she was about to speak. Hurriedly, yet silently, he reached out for her and pulled her down behind the bar counter to conceal their presence. They pressed their back against the bar counter, hand clasped tightly over one another's.

Then… CRASH!

"Bloody hell! What do you think you're doing!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! I'm so sorry!"

"At this rate, we will never be able to catch them off guard!"

"Forget it, Ryo. He's an idiot. A clumsy one too."

"What! And who are you to say that? You're the one who knocked into me and caused me to bang into the table!"

"Yeah, yeah, you have an active imagination…"

Shuichi sweatdropped as those men continued to bicker. _They're all idiots…Anyway, I have to think of a way to escape quickly!_

He rose from his crouching position and peeked out carefully over the counter. Through the glass doors and panels that were slightly tinted black, he could clearly make out three figures posed in the corridor, a few meters away from the entrance of the lounge.

_I was right. There're three of them. Shit. I can't deal with so many of them! _He gritted his teeth in frustration, keeping his eyes on the three men outside the lounge. _Haruko! I have to make sure she's safe, at least. I'm the one they're after. I can't let her get hurt because of me…_

_Think, think, think!_

_Haruko isn't a fast runner. If both of us were to run for the stairs or elevators, we'll most definitely get caught…… I'll have to distract them to clear the escape route for Haruko… after all, they're after me, right?_

_But where will I escape to? _Panic rose in his heart. He knew he had to act quickly, before the men found them.

_Aha! The cross junction where we passed through just now… it'll serve to confuse them. And besides, there's another flight of stairs at the end, if I make a right turn._

He crawled back to Haruko, and conveyed his plan to her in whispers. Fortunately, those men were to busy arguing to notice anything amiss.

Haruko widened her eyes in fear and worry, and shook her head, voicing her objection to his plan. "I can't leave you here. It's too dangerous." That was what her eyes spoke of.

"There's no other way. Please trust me. I have to make sure that you're safe. And I need you to go get help. Please." He cupped her cheeks gently and they stared into each other's eyes.

Finally, she understood that there was no other way. She nodded.

He peeked out again, and noticed that those men were almost done arguing. _Okay… here goes…_ He took a deep breath and sprang for the doors.

The thugs jumped as they realized that their prey had just shot off away from them. "Hey! Wait up! You fucking asshole! We're gonna get you!"

It was a game of predator and prey.

Tears stung Haruko's eyes as she huddled behind the counter and waited for a few moments to make sure that those men were gone. As soon as she felt that the route was cleared, she scrambled to her feet and started for the exit. She understood that she needed to get help FAST if Shuichi were to survive this.

**xXx xXx**

Yuki gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He pushed down harder on the accelerator and sped off into the night. The radio was turned on at a deafening pitch with thumping metallic rock music in an attempt to blast off all his frustrations.

But apparently, it was not working. He cursed under his breath and continued cutting in and out of the traffic, ignoring all the angry honks he was getting.

Shuichi, Shuichi, Shuichi.

Fuck! He couldn't get that name out of his mind. Everywhere he turned, he caught a glimpse of Shuichi on tiptoes, kissing Sakurai Akiha TEN-DER-LY.

_Shit! What the hell's happening to me! I'm not supposed to feel like this! Cigarettes, beer, cigarettes, beer… I need to calm down. Store. Cigarettes. Beer. Cake. Sleep. Sex._

He made a U-turn, and the car skidded a little. Regaining his sanity, he slowed down to avoid crashing and dying in his car. How ugly and pathetic would that be?

_Ok, store first. Then… _He almost lost his foothold on the accelerator as he realized where he was. _Shuichi._

He slowed down further and glanced out of the window. There stood the new NG Building… where Shuichi currently was in, as according to the conversation he overheard earlier.

He cursed himself again and averted his eyes back to the road, just in time to catch a figure running out in front of him. Instinct kicked in, and he slammed his foot onto the brake.

"Shit!" Yuki hissed and unbuckled his belt, ready to give that brainless pedestrian a taste of hell, vaguely noting how apt the situation was actually.

_Not Shuichi again! _He was seriously considering seeking his psychiatrist for help on getting rid of this annoying baka-Shuichi-disease soon.

But just as he stepped out of his car, before he could even open his mouth, the brainless pedestrian had flung her arms around him, sobbing and muttering incoherently.

"What the hell are you doing! Get your hands off me! What's wrong with you!" He pried the girl off him, irritated. _Just my luck to bump into a mad woman late at night!_

"Please… Please..! Help him somebody help him! Shuichi-Shuichi… someone's out to hurt him! Please!"

_Wha-what! _Yuki froze. _Am I hearing things as well?_

He looked down at the girl in his arms. This time, he could clearly see her face. "You-"

Haruko gasped and continued shrieking. "Yuki-san! Ohmygod! Please hurry! Shuichi is in there and there are guys after him you got to help him quick or they'll hurt him bad! Save him! Please!" She burst into tears again. "Shu-chan Shu-chan…!"

It took a moment for Yuki to register those words. _Shuichi. Guys. Hurt. Bad. Save him._

_Aizawa Taki?_

Immense fear washed over him as he forced his feet to move. Sprinting towards the entrance of the building with his heart pounding madly against his chest, Yuki felt the first trace of desperate helplessness, a feeling that he had not experienced since the fateful day years ago.

**xXx xXx**

Shuichi leaned against the door, panting heavily, scanning the darkness with his eyes. Towards the front half of the room, there was a whiteboard along with tables and chairs arranged in straight rows. The back of the room towards the door was empty, save for some cupboards. For a moment, he thought that he was back to school and that he had entered some weird classroom.

_What's this room going to be used for? _He slapped himself mentally and walked further in. _Baka! Now's not the time to think about this. Hide… I need a place to hide…_

Just then, he heard footsteps nearing.

_Shit! They're here!_ Scanning the room wildly, he realized that the only hiding place available was…

He dived into one of the cupboards just as the door clicked open.

"Look around carefully. I'm quite sure that he came this way."

"Got it."

"Here, kitty… Come on out… We've got a treat for you. Don't you wanna play?"

Shuichi shuddered at the cold voices. He clapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself from crying in fear.

"Bad, bad kitty. We're going to punish you for disobeying orders once we find you…"

All of a sudden, Shuichi stared hard at the cupboard doors from the inside. He could feel it. Yes, he could feel it in his gut. One of them was standing right outside the cupboard.

He held his breath, praying silently to god. Pleading desperately.

The door creaked open slightly, and some light fell in through the crack.

_This is it. I'm dead._ He squeezed his eyes shut, shunning away from his sealed fate.

"I think I heard some noise out there. Let's move on to the next room!"

The door fell back closed.

Still trembling, Shuichi let out a small sigh of relief. He waited for a few minutes before peeking out to make sure that the thugs were gone.

_Now, if only I can get to the stairs back there… _He jogged lightly to the door. _I'll be safe…_

But before he could even reach the door, he felt something hard crashed into his back and an electrifying bolt of pain shot through him. Splinters flew everywhere as the wooden plank broke into half, and Shuichi collapsed to his knees.

"Hey kitty, we were waiting for you… stupid…" They laughed.

"I'll start first."

"Sure, Sei…"

Sei smiled and yanked Shuichi by his hair. "Now, let's start playing for real."

"No! Let me go! Why are you doing this!" Shuichi shrieked and flailed for life.

"Why? Blame it on yourself, you nosy idiot."

He slammed Shuichi against the cupboard and brushed the back of his hand against Shuichi's cheek. "I heard a lot about you, Shindou Shuichi. Back then, you were popular as a singer… and the fact that you had a guy for a lover. That was totally disgusting. But now I'm starting to understand why. You have a pretty face that makes me want to tear it apart… dear model…"

Shuichi shivered at those words. With a fresh burst of energy, he lifted his leg and brought his knee hard into Sei's stomach.

"Oof!" Sei's grip on Shuichi loosened and the latter began to make a mad dash for safety.

But Sei was faster. He grabbed Shuichi by the arm, pulled the latter back hard, and slapped him with so much force that he fell onto the ground. "Naughty kitty… don't you dare try to escape… because you can't."

He pinned Shuichi onto the floor, trapping Shuichi effectively with his limbs, smirking maliciously. "I'll like a taste of you…"

_No no no no no no no… _Shuichi's eyes widened in fear as he watched Sei inched closer and closer to him. There was nothing he could do. He was frozen in terror and dread.

He screamed the only name that came into his mind.

"YUKI !"

**xXx tsuzuku xXx

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**

**Ok, great. Yuki's going crazy. Haha! I think the idea of Shuichi having a boyfriend is pissing him more off than him having a girlfriend.**

**Anyway, the YukiShu parts are kicking in. Though I really want to write more of YukixAtsushi and maybe ShuxAkiha. Strange. Atsushi and Akiha are really nice characters to work with!**

**Lastly, remember this: "There is no such thing as coincidence in this world, only inevitability." (quoted from Yuuko, xXxholic)**

**Keep that in mind! (laughs) **


	17. Safe in your Arms

**Hi dearies! I'm back again with a new chapter. Sorry for the long wait! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and please note that I'm changing the rating of this fic to M instead of the usual T… which means that you'll need to make sure that lists fics of all ratings to spot any updates for my story. Towards top right hand corner, there's this bar that says: "Rated K - T". Scroll down and select "Fiction rating:all" or "Rated M".**

**Sorry for the trouble. But I want play safe with the ratings. If my story gets deleted, I'll cry. (L) You can leave me your email too if you wanna save the trouble of having to do that. I'll inform you when I've updated!**

Being the lazy asshole I am, I take my own sweet time writing the next chapter, dragging on and on, then I start panicking when I realize that I'm taking too long to do it, and when it's finally completed, I rush to put it up. ARGH! Hahahaha!

So if there're any questions or anything that has left you wondering, leave me a message and I'll try my best to answer you.

Well, I'm not good at writing action, so here goes nothing…

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.**

* * *

**MOU ICHI DO  
Chapter 17 – Safe in Your Arms**

"YUKIIIIIIIII!"

The piercing scream echoed throughout the empty building, like a bolt of ice shooting through his heart. He froze in fear, his mind in a whirl.

_No… Shuichi…!_

There wasn't a moment to lose. Yuki knew that he had to find Shuichi fast, or else…

He continued racing up the stairs, trying to make out where the scream was from, anxiety tearing him apart with every step he took. He could hear his heart pounding wildly against his chest, he could feel the adrenaline mixed with fear and anger surging through his body, and he could taste blood on his lips. He would make them pay, whoever they were. And if anything were to happen to Shuichi, there was no telling what he might do.

**xXx xXx**

Sei laughed. "Go ahead and scream all you want. Nobody's coming to save you on time." A sadistic smirk crossed his face. He drew a knife out, sliding the cold blade across Shuichi's face slowly, teasingly. "How lovely it would be to cut up this pretty face of yours…"

The knife continued across Shuichi's cheek, down to his chin, and then to his neck.

"Or maybe it would be more fun to watch the blood gushing out of a fine slit across your throat… you used to sing, didn't you?"

Shuichi shivered in terror, squeezing his "shut" tightly shut, too afraid to look on. Tears escaped from his eyes as he carried on praying for help.

"Still waiting for help to arrive? Why don't you give it up?" Sei grinned. "How about I offer you a chance to help yourself?"

Shuichi opened his eyes, confused and a little hopeful.

"If you're good, I may considering letting you go alive…" With that, Sei withdrew the knife away from Shuichi's neck, and began attacking it with his lips instead, licking and sucking on it, slipping his hand under Shuichi's shirt at the same time.

It took a moment for Shuichi to register what Sei was planning to do.

"No! Sto-stop! Don't do this! NO!" He struggled desperately, trying to push the stronger man off him. "Please…! I-" He was forced into silence as Sei kissed him brutally.

_No… Somebody help me… please…_

_Yu…ki… I want Yuki… Yuki… Yuki… Yuki!_

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard. Before Sei could even look up, he was pulled back by an unknown force so strong that he staggered backwards and slammed into the cupboards. Groaning in pain and struggling to get back onto his feet, he noticed that one of his accomplices was lying on the ground unconscious, while the other was currently being bashed up by the intruder.

In a few seconds, his second accomplice was left kneeling on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, coughing and choking out blood.

The said intruder then rushed to Shuichi, who was still cowering and sobbing in fear. He knelt down and began rambling worriedly. "Shuichi? Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

_This voice… it's so beautiful and soothing… _Shuichi tried focusing on the stranger towering over him in concern. _So beautiful… blonde hair… striking golden eyes… it all seems so familiar…_

"Yu…ki…?" He was stunned. _What? Why is Yuki here? It can't be… I was calling for him and now he's here? How?_

"Shuichi? Are you alright? Answer me!" Yuki cupped the boy's cheeks in his hands and peered down at him anxiously.

"Hmm? I…" The movement of a shadow behind Yuki distracted him. He frowned slightly before realization hit him – it was Sei with his knife. "Yuki, look out!" He screamed in horror as he watched Sei charged towards Yuki.

Yuki swiveled around and managed to avoid getting stabbed, but still suffered a cut on his left arm. He grabbed Sei's arm with his right hand, wrenched it at an odd angle, forcing Sei to drop the knife. Kicking the knife away, he then slammed his left elbow into Sei's face and kicked the guy in the stomach. Sei fell down on all fours, but Yuki was not finished with him just yet. Bringing his foot down onto Sei's back, Yuki sent the guy sprawling face flat onto the floor.

He then tugged mercilessly on Sei's hair, forcing the guy to look back up at him. "How's that for starters? Don't die on me yet… I'm gonna make you pay a million times for what you did."

"No… please… I didn't mean to hurt him…"

Yuki narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Didn't mean to hurt him? After all you did?" He delivered another kick to Sei. "Did someone send you?"

"…"

Another kick. A harsher one.

"Miyabi… Tanaka Miyabi…"

"What?" Yuki was shocked. "Why?"

"He spoiled her plans…"

"What are you talking about? Make it clear!" This time, Yuki slammed his foot down onto Sei's hand, crushing it beneath his weight, earning himself a shattering scream.

"Yuki!" Shuichi shrieked in panic. "Stop it! That's enough! Let him go!"

He was worried for Yuki. He knew the man currently standing before him was capable of doing anything – even murder. He didn't like this Yuki. He wanted the normal Yuki back.

"Yuki… please…" He made an effort to stand up, only to get hit by a bout of dizziness. He swayed unsteadily and fell forward… into Yuki's arms.

"Shuichi!"

Shuichi winced at his sore back and glanced up at those concerned shimmering orbs, shooting Yuki a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine… Why… why are you here? How did you find me?"

Yuki pulled Shuichi closer to him, causing Shuichi's heart skipped a beat at this. "I heard your scream…"

"Oh." There was a moment of silence before Shuichi frowned in confusion and spoke up once again. "But the building's so big…"

"That's because… I… I dunno…" Yuki bit his lip. _Somehow something just drew me here… to you… _He gently pushed Shuichi away, lighting up secretly when he saw how Shuichi's face dropped. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Ahh!"

Yuki jumped at the sudden cry from Shuichi.

"What? What! Are you hurt somewhere?"

"No! Yuki's the one who is hurt!" Shuichi reached for Yuki's left arm and held it gently. "See? There's a deep cut! You're bleeding so badly! Is it painful? Are you alright!"

Yuki breathed a mental sigh of relief. "Baka! You scared the living daylights out of me. I'm fine! It's just a small cut!"

Silence.

"Shuichi?"

It was only then did Yuki realize that tears were cascading down Shuichi's porcelain face. A moment later, the boy broke down into sobs and flung his arms around Yuki's neck.

"Yuki! Please don't die! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's all my fault you're hurt! I don't want you to die!"

Yuki's eye twitched in irritation. "BAKA! It's just a small cut! I'm not going to die. Stop cursing me! And can you stop crying!"

But Shuichi only hugged him more tightly. "I was so scared… back then, I thought it was going to happen again… I prayed hard for help… but if I knew that you would get hurt in the process of saving me, then I wouldn't have called for you. I would rather let them do anything they wanted to…"

Yuki was taken aback by those words. A familiar warmth overtook him and his heart ached. He returned the hug and ran his fingers through Shuichi's hair reassuringly, and then brought his lips down to kiss those fine locks, murmuring: "You're a hopeless idiot, you know that?"

They remained silent in each other's arms after Shuichi's sobs died down.

But this moment of tranquil bliss was not to last any longer than it already had.

"Shuichi!"

The pair of ex-lovers pulled away from each other hastily. They turned and found Akiha standing at the doorway, sweating and panting, his tired face full of concern.

"Shuichi! I'm so glad I found you at last! Are you ok?"

"I… I…" Shuichi's heart was thumping so rapidly that he was at a lost for words. He wondered if Akiha had seen anything.

Akiha started to walk in, but was overtaken by another – Haruko came running in, her body racked with sobs. Following behind her were Tsuyoshi, Jun and two other security guards who immediately rushed in to seize the three thugs. (Remember they had been patrolling when Shuichi met Kyo and Ishi)

"Shu… Shu… are you hurt?" Haruko threw her arms around Shuichi and buried her face against his chest. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have left you and escaped alone no matter what… I'm sorry for insisting that we take a look around the building. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault. Don't cry anymore… I'm fine. Yuki's the one who is injured. We need to get him to the hospital…" Shuichi bit his lip worriedly as he glanced at Yuki's wound.

"Eiri-san, you're injured?"

Everyone looked startled when they heard that voice.

"Seguchi? What are you doing here?"

Tohma hurried in and helped Yuki up. "Miyamoto-san informed me that you and Shindou-san were in danger, so I rushed here immediately. Let's get you treated fast…" He turned to Shuichi. "Shindou-san, you had better come with us to the hospital for a check-up too."

"Yes, that'll be good." Akiha helped Shuichi up and wrapped one arm around him protectively while Haruko held onto Shuichi's hand. "Let's go…"

**xXx xXx**

The doctor had notified them that Shuichi was fine. A few days of rest were all he needed to recover from his aching back and some light bruises. They were now waiting around for Yuki to come out.

"Thank god everything turned out fine." Jun muttered.

Akiha smiled. "Yeah… and Shuichi's pretty face isn't damaged."

"Is that all you're concerned about!"

"Nope. I'm glad that his body isn't damaged too. It'll be such a waste if it was… I want to be the one to do it…"

Smack.

However, Shuichi wasn't listening. He was staring at the door of the room where Yuki was in, praying anxiously that Yuki was fine. Finally, the door opened.

He rushed forward. "Are you alright? How's the wound? Will it leave a scar? What did the doctor say?"

"I told you I'm fine. The wound isn't very deep. The doctor just disinfected it and applied some medication and bandaged it."

"But it looked so deep to me… and you were bleeding so much!"

Yuki sighed. "You're exaggerating… How… about you?"

"I just need a few days of rest, that's all…" Shuichi's voice dropped to a shy whisper as he grew conscious of himself, and all that had happened. "Yuki, I… I…"

"Thank you so much for saving us, Yuki-san. We don't know how to repay you for that…" Haruko interrupted with sincere thanks and held onto Shuichi's arm tightly.

Shuichi jumped slightly at the sudden contact. He looked away briefly. "Yeah… thank you so much…"

Yuki looked away as well. "It's late. You had better go back and get some rest."

"…ok… you too…"

Thus, they parted.

**xXx xXx**

When he was left with Tohma, Yuki finally remembered. "Tanaka Miyabi. She's the one behind the attack."

"Yes, I know that. I've already informed the police."

"What about the media? They wouldn't write about…"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that this is kept low, and that Shindou-san is left out of this. It'll be hell if this gets out since this is…" Tohma drifted off and made no attempt to continue his words.

_Since this is related to me, eh?_ Yuki closed his eyes as he sat down in the cafeteria in the hospital. He was tired, confused and annoyed. "That guy mentioned something about Shuichi spoiling the bitch's plans… do you have any idea what's that about?"

Silence.

Yuki opened his eyes. "Seguchi?"

When Tohma didn't answer yet again, he knew that something was up. He jerked upright and hissed: "You know something, right? What is it? Tell me!"

"Eiri-san, calm down. I can't tell you anything…"

"Don't give me that! I want to know everything! Are you going to tell me or do I have to force it out of that bitch myself?" He felt like slaughtering Tohma right there and then.

Silence.

"Fine!" He was about to stand up and leave when Tohma stopped him.

"Eiri-san, do you still love Shindou-san?"

Yuki stiffened at that. His reply came out in a tight voice. "Why do you ask that?"

Tohma peered at Yuki closely. "Because you were willing to get hurt for him… Because you almost killed those guys who were about to hurt him…"

"…"

"Are you… are you planning on getting back together with him?" It was a tentative question that took Yuki by surprise. "Eiri-san?"

"I don't understand what you're saying. Getting back together? I don't think that's possible… and besides… I've never ever loved him once… isn't it so?" It was a quiet answer. And with that, Yuki left, heading for the door.

His cell phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Eiri-san? I heard that the police are after Tanaka Miyabi because she sent some killers after you. Are you alright? Is everything ok?"

Atsushi.

"I'm fine."

"Can I go over to your place now?"

"Whatever." Yuki answered disinterestedly and hung up immediately, getting into his car.

"_Eiri-san, do you still love Shindou-san?"_

"_I've never ever loved him once… isn't that so?"_

"Isn't that so?" He echoed in a gentle whisper, as if attempting to convince himself of that. _Because if I had loved him, I would never have let him go… right?_

**xXx xXx**

Meanwhile, back in the cafeteria, Tohma stirred his cup of coffee distractedly, with a sad, empty smile on him. He leaned back in his seat and watched the black Mercedes drive off into the night, whispering:

"But if that is so, Eiri-san… why do your eyes speak otherwise?"

He looked out at the black sky glittering with a few lonely stars.

"Somehow, it's painful watching both of you like this…"

**xXx tbc xXx

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**

**Yesss! Done! I made the cafeteria located near the entrance of the hospital… there's a carpark right outside the entrance. If you're wondering about the cars, hmm… Tohma drove Yuki to the hospital in his car. Akiha drove Shuichi, Haruko, and Jun in the car they rented for their stay in Japan (?) Tsuyoshi drove Yuki's car for him. Something like that. I'm not sure about the car rental actually… but I guess it's more logical for them to have rented a car.**

**I'm too lazy to edit. Please inform me if anything is amiss...**

**GWL: **Yup! I changed the title. Hee…  
**Daphne: **Thanks for the suggestion! I'll do just that! I've got to decide which chapter it'll be in though. Hmm… probably not so soon. (smiles)  
**Ildreen Love: **I just love the fact that Shu only screamed for Yuki too. He definitely trusts Yuki the most!  
**Annie loves it: **I'm starting to add in more YukiShu parts… though in this chapter they're interrupted once again. But from here onwards, I think it will start to change… as I approach the ending, you'll definitely see more of our favorite couple!  
**rebellion2fate: **Lol! Well, actually I don't mind their boyfriends, but Haruko's starting to get a little irritating to me. Hmm… Must to something about that… oh well… I've actually planned what's going to happened to her already. Hehe…  
**clari chan**: I guess you had fallen off the cliff long ago. I'm so sorry! (L)  
**Jaslin**: Sorry for taking so long!  
**Magik**: Thanks for your concern! I'm fine now! (Since I took so long to update… argh… cries)  
**inuyashasdragonballs**: Thanks for the ideas! Hope I didn't disappoint you. Luckily my hands are still here with me… haha!  
**Bram:** er… next chapter? (winks)  
**lemur130:** I agree!  
**wendyghost**: Prince of Tennis… a shounen series. Just that there are many people out there who love to turn it yaoi. Lol!

**I think I really have to do this to lighten my guilt:**

**To everyone:** Thank you for reading! And I'm so, so, so sorry for taking so long to update! (feels so guilty after reading all the reviews again) I'm really sorry! The next chapter shouldn't take too long though... since I already have three quarters of it sitting in my laptop. It's a long chapter too… Yay! (breathes a sigh of relief)

See ya soon! And remember the change in ratings! (hops off to shower)


	18. Falling Again

**I promised to get this up by the end of the week, and I had intended to do it earlier, but I'vegot problems logging in,so... I'm sorry.**

**Please don't have high hopes for the lemon part. Argh… I'm NOT a lemon writer, this is my first time doing it, and I think I totally sucked at it. I don't even know if it's ok putting it up! But since I've read lemons on I guess it should be fine as long as the rating is M. Argh! I'm confused!**

**Well, if you find it offensive, or if you're underage (think NC-17), just skip that part of the fic. (hmm…)**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me. (Hides in a corner feeling blue)

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 18 --- Falling Again** (Ahem. I sucked at titles.)

"Hey… having fun?"

A woman stepped up beside Shuichi and smiled at him. She was a beautiful lady… fine features, flawless complexion, shoulder-length auburn hair with soft curls at the ends, deep brown eyes, marvelous figure, elegance, class… and the list goes on.

Hisae Kaori – a top-notch famous model. She was every photographer's dream model, every man's dream girl. Having just returned from Paris, she was invited to partner Shuichi in a photoshoot and she had agreed to it readily (taking Shuichi by surprise). Hey, she's the no.1 model in town!

Shuichi smiled politely back. "How can it not be fun working with you? I'm flattered to be able to work with you."

Kaori laughed. A warm, bubbly, gentle laugh. "I'm the one's who is supposed to be flattered, Shindou-san. You're the one hitting headlines and the front page of every magazine nowadays. And there are posters of you everywhere!"

"No way!" Shuichi exclaimed in mock surprise, causing both of them to burst out into laughter again.

Shuichi turned back and watched Akiha and the rest of the crew getting the set ready. This photoshoot was actually an advertisement for Hamaya Piano, and Akiha had decided using three different settings for it. Each setting would feature Shuichi playing the grand piano, with Kaori on top of the piano.

The first one had required them to set off for the beach before dawn this morning. The idea was to capture the sunrise as a backdrop. Shuichi, dressed in a plain white short-sleeve shirt (unbuttoned all the way) and a pair of surfer shorts, with his body and hair dripping wet (slightly), played the piano. Kaori, in a set of orange bikini, with a translucent scarf wrapped around her waist and a flower in her hair, lied on the piano splattered with sand, sipping on s glass of juice. Shuichi was smiling happily, while Kaori was laughing.

The second one had taken place in a "forest". Yes, Akiha had ordered someone to find a place that looked like a forest. But with such a limited amount of time, they had to make do with the botanical garden. They chose a spot where there was nothing but a field of green and lush green trees all around. This time, both Shuichi and Kaori were dressed in yukata.

They had taken a break for lunch before moving on to the last set – an empty, majestic concert hall. The crew members, whom Akiha had borrowed from one of his trusted photographer friend, scurried to and fro making sure the lighting was just fine, and also spreading red rose petals all over the piano and the area near it.

Shuichi, now dressed neatly in a suit, stared at the piano as the orange lights seemed to make it shine. Kaori stood beside him in an elegant, tight, black halter dress that revealed her bare back as well as her other assets. Her perfectly manicured nails were polished deep red, matching her lipstick, and her skin was glimmering with tiny specks of body glitter. She held a glass of cocktail to be used in the shoot.

"Ok now, we're ready to go." Akiha approached them and smiled. "Remember you're supposed to look seductive… sexy. Not only Hisae-san, it applies to you too, Shuichi." He tapped Shuichi's nose teasingly, while the latter glared back in response.

"Let's get it done quickly." He snapped and started for the piano.

**xXx xXx**

Shuichi stepped out of the florist, hugging a large bouquet of white lilies in his arms. He looked on at the busy street and at those people rushing to and fro with their everyday lives.

Everything looks so normal. I bet today's just a normal for these people… waking up, going to work, knocking off, and then returning home to their family.

Shuichi sighed inwardly.

_But what about me? What about me! _

He looked down at the bouquet of flowers in his hands for a moment before taking off in the direction of his destination, trying to recall how he had arrived at his current situation.

_They had just finished shooting at the concert hall. Shuichi was in his changing room staring at his reflection in the mirror, examining his new haircut. It was now a slightly darker shade of brown and was longer on one side of his face. Jun had been removing his make-up and such when she made that outrageous suggestion._

"_Are you going to pay Yuki-san a visit?"_

_Shuichi stared at her. "Huh? What for?"_

"_What! Don't tell me you forgot that he rescued you two days ago! Don't you think that you should at least pay him a visit? He was injured because of you!"_

"_But…"_

"_Shuichi, the guy saved your ass."_

_Shuichi frowned. Truthfully, he was worried about Yuki too. But he had been too busy with rest and work to find out how's Yuki doing._

"_I'll give him a call later."_

"_That's so insincere! You should pay him a visit personally and thank him! I can't believe you're so ungrateful!" Jun cried out crossly. "I don't care. You'll go straight to his house after you've finished changing. I'll let Akiha know."_

"_What!" Shuichi was met with one of Jun's scary glares. "Ok, ok! I'll do it! Now, help me get Haruko here."_

"_She has to help out with the packing up and the photos and everything. You're not getting her to go with you."_

"_But- but…!"_

"_Come on, Shuichi. You know that Akiha won't let anyone except us help with the developing of the photos and everything. And there're only five of us here."_

"_Then I'll go another day…"_

"_There's no other day! We have got another photoshoot tomorrow and the day after that, and then we're going back to America soon. And usually, people don't wait for days before expressing their thanks to someone who saved their LIFE. Why don't you just get it settled today? It's just a small visit. I'm not asking you to stay there forever…"_

_Shuichi sighed. It seemed like there was no way out of this, and besides, Jun was right. People don't usually wait for days to thank someone for saving him, not to mention that their savior had gotten hurt in the process. _

"_Ok! I get it. I'll change now and get going."_

"_Oh! And Shuichi?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Go get some flowers for Yuki-san."_

"_What!"_

"_You're paying him a visit to thank him right? To express your wish for him to get well soon, get him a bouquet of flowers."_

"_Er… I don't think that's necessary. Besides, Yuki doesn't like flowers…"_

"_How can you be so sure of that?"_

"_Because guys don't usually like the idea of receiving flowers… especially from another guy!"_

_Jun sighed. "That's a childish reason."_

"_Eh?"_

"_Anyway, what I mean is that Yuki-san is way too serious. That is why you should get him some flowers to brighten up his day. Brighten up his house! It makes the atmosphere around him livelier!"_

"… _but…"_

"_No buts! Just do as I say! Girls know best about such stuff!"_

"…"

"_Oh, and one last thing. Could you please get his autograph for me at the same time?"_

"…" _He should have known that there was some hidden motive for Jun to insist on him visiting._

**xXx xXx**

He had no idea as to why he had actually gone ahead with the idea of the flowers. (Perhaps he really wanted to try giving the author flowers once.) But the flowers were the reason as to why he was so frustrated and nervous now.

_Yuki is going to kill me. He's going to ignore me, make fun of me with his sarcastic words, throw the flowers back into my face, and shut the door in my face._

Shuichi paled at that thought.

_This is so embarrassing. Maybe I should just return the flowers to the florist…_

He turned around… and realized that he was already at the children's playground near the park near Yuki's apartment.

_Maybe I should just throw the flowers away… but that'll be such a waste…_

"Hey." A familiar, deep, sexy voice called out from behind him.

Shuichi whipped around and found himself staring into a pair of gorgeous, alluring golden orbs. Stunned and at a loss for words, he hugged the flowers closer and looked away, stuttering nervously: "Hi, Yuki…"

Yuki kept his eyes steadily on the model. "What are you doing here?"

Shuichi stole a quick glance at Yuki before looking away again. "I was on my way to visit you… I wanted to thank you for saving me back then…"

They kept quiet for a moment. Only the laughter of the children at the playground could be heard.

"Are those flowers for your girlfriend?"

"Huh?" It took Shuichi a while before he remembered that he was holding onto a big bouquet of white lilies. "No! These flowers are for you!" He shoved the bouquet into Yuki's hands. "They're… for……you…"

Shuichi turned red and trailed off in embarrassment as he realized that he had, after all, presented the flowers to Yuki.

Yuki's eyes widened and he just stood there paralyzed for some time. "…What! Flowers! Are you crazy! I don't want them. Take them back!" He pushed the bouquet back to Shuichi in disbelief, tinged with embarrassment.

Shuichi bit his lip. "Bu- but… but…but…"

Yuki frowned and then sighed. "Ok, ok! Stop your buts! Just hold on to them until we get back to the apartment."

Shuichi looked extremely relieved then. "Ok…"

"Let's go…" Yuki turned and started walking off, while Shuichi remained still. "Are you coming or not? Hurry up!"

Shuichi stared at Yuki's retreating back. "Coming!" And he started running to Yuki, falling into stride with him.

They walked on side by side in silence, arms almost brushing each other's, heading for home.

Shuichi kept his eyes on the ground as he felt something lurched inside him. _Yuki's right beside me… he's here with me. But something feels out of place. What is it? What is this horrible feeling in me? Why do I feel this way?_

_Even though we're walking close together side by side, why do I feel so lonely still?_

**xXx xXx**

Shuichi continued staring at the flowers that now lay on the coffee table as he sat on the couch feeling awkward, his coat beside him.

"Here…" Yuki sat a cup of coffee down on the coffee table, beside the flowers. "This is all I have."

"Thanks…" Shuichi shifted his gaze to Yuki's left upper arm. "Is your arm… are you ok?"

"I'm fine. This is nothing. But I've got to change the dressing now." Yuki turned and headed for his room.

Shuichi scrambled to his feet immediately. "Let me help you!"

"No, it's ok."

"No! I want to help! You were injured because of me in the first place!"

They stopped in front of the room.

"Fine… just don't make it worse." Yuki opened the door and proceeded in, leaving Shuichi pouting in defiance.

"I won't!"

Yuki took the first aid kit out and set it down on the bed. Shuichi knelt down by the bed and opened the box eagerly. When he next looked up, his jaw almost dropped. There Yuki was, sitting on the bed shirtless as he undressed the old bandages.

… _uhm… ok… I guess he needs to do that since it's his upper arm that is injured…_ Shuichi gulped and continued staring at that well-toned body, the bare chest, muscles and all, as he was too stunned to move. _Yuki's really sexy…_

"Are you going to help or are you just going to sit there and stare?"

Shuichi snapped out of his trance and glanced up at Yuki, who was smirking slightly. He blushed furiously and quickly averted his eyes to the first aid kit.

"Ri-right…" He shuffled through the contents, trying to pick those that were necessary. _Ahhh! He caught me staring! This is bad, bad, bad! I can't believe it! What was I thinking! This is soooo embarrassing!_ He mentally kicked himself for committing such a silly mistake.

He pushed the kit aside, sat down on the bed in its place beside Yuki, blushing again as he realized how close they were. His heart was beating so loudly and he prayed that Yuki wouldn't be able to hear it. But as he unscrewed the bottle of antiseptic lotion and gazed at the wound before dabbing the antiseptic extremely cautiously onto the wound, he bit his lips to keep himself from trembling.

Yuki looked down at the boy who looked like he was about to cry. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Would you please stop it? I told you that I'm fine and besides, the wound is already healing gradually."

"But… but…" Shuichi placed the bottle back into the kit.

Yuki placed his hand on Shuichi's head comfortingly. "Stop with all that 'buts'. Geez… do you really love that word so much? Or is that the only word that your puny brain can remember?"

"Yuki! My brain's not puny!" He slapped Yuki's arm away. When he realized that that was the injured arm, he started shrieking like a mad man. "Ahh! I'm sorry! Are you ok! I didn't know… I'm sorry!"

He jumped up from the bed and accidentally knocked the first aid kit and the roll of bandages off the bed, causing the contents of the kit to spill onto the floor. It didn't help that he had forgotten to screw the cap of the bottle of antiseptic lotion back properly, and thus the liquid had spilled onto the floor. This only served to freak him out more.

"Ahhh! I didn't mean to drop it! It was an accident! I'm sorry!" Hastily, he bent down and tried to repair the damage done. _Oh no! What have I done? I bet Yuki is really mad at me right now! _

Minutes later, Shuichi found himself entangled in bandages. "Ahhhhh!"

"What are you doing! You stupid brat!" Yuki shouted in annoyance and bent down to pick up the overturned bottle and the rest of the contents of the first-aid kit. "I told you to be careful! You're really only making things worse!"

Shuichi bit his lips guiltily and whispered: "I'm sorry…"

Yuki let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted. It's just that I haven't had a good sleep these few days." He started bandaging his arm.

"Working on your novel?"

"Yes… sort of…" Yuki answered plainly. _Plus that my mind's eerily filled with images of you, and that incident with Tanaka Miyabi is troubling me as well… _

"Huh? Yuki? Did you say something?" Shuichi frowned.

"I said… what did you do that made that mad woman send thugs after you?"

Shuichi's heart skipped a beat. "… I… I… don't know…"

"Oh really? So you had no idea what 'plan' of hers you spoiled?" Yuki glared at the boy.

Shuichi shook his head, denying everything. This pissed Yuki off. He grabbed Shuichi's wrist and pulled him close. "Stop lying. Don't you think that I've got a right to know what's going on!"

"I…" Shuichi tried tugging his wrist out of Yuki's grip. "Yuki, let go. It hurts…"

The pained voice snapped Yuki back to his sense and he released Shuichi immediately. "Sorry… It's ok. You can choose not to say anything, but I'll find out on my own."

_No… You don't need to know. Ever!_ Shuichi fidgeted nervously as a momentary silence overtook the room.

"… I saw you singing the last time…"

Shuichi froze in shock. "Wha-what?" His voice came out in a whisper. "But I… I thought you don't watch TV… especially those entertainment shows… why… how…?"

Yuki shrugged. "I thought you said you would never sing again. Why did you…?"

"I…I…" Shuichi panicked. He couldn't let Yuki know the truth. "It was just a publicity stunt. Akiha persuaded me to do it, so I went ahead with it."

_So it was for that guy. Everything's about that guy now eh?_ Yuki gritted his teeth in annoyance. "And you just follow whatever that idiot says? You're really stupid after all. Modeling suits you then."

Shuichi shrank back from Yuki's icy tone. "Whatever do you mean?"

Yuki narrowed his eyes. "Since you're so stupid, modeling is just fine for you because all you need in that job is a pretty face and a sellable body, In other words, you're just selling your body to the audience. Am I not right? But then again, only an idiot would actually pick you to be their model. I guess you should be happy that Sakurai Akiha is a bigger idiot than you."

It hurt. It hurt so badly, but Shuichi was more pissed than hurt. "Don't you dare criticize Akiha or my profession! You know nothing about them. Modeling is more than what it seems. And I won't allow you to speak badly of Akiha! He's a widely known professional and he does great at his job!"

"Seems like you treasure him a lot, don't you?" Each word had an edge to it.

"He's important to me." Shuichi spat and turned to leave the room. "I had better leave now. I'm meeting someone."

"Meeting your girlfriend? Or your _boyfriend_?" Yuki's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"What!" Shuichi whirled around to face the novelist, confused.

"Did I say something wrong? Isn't Sakurai Akiha your boyfriend?" Yuki sneered.

Shuichi reeled back in shock. "What? What made you say that?"

Yuki snubbed his cigarette against his ashtray. He walked towards Shuichi, taking deliberate slow steps. "Stop pretending. First you came back announcing to everyone you've got a girlfriend, and the next moment, you're hugging and kissing and fucking that Sakurai Akiha behind your girlfriend's back. I saw you on the balcony that day of the exhibition. And there were so many times where the both of you had your hands all over each other."

Shuichi felt as if he had been slapped hard. A searing pain shot through his heart, his mind, his body, his soul. Yuki's words had always been as sharp as blades. But this time, those words were the deadliest of all.

_How can he say that? How can he accuse me of doing such things? How can he? How can he! _

"I didn't! Akiha's not my boyfriend! I didn't cheat on Haruko! Akiha is purely my friend and my boss!" Shuichi screamed in rage.

"Yeah right. Then why did you kiss him? I'll overlook all those occasion where he kissed you, but why did you kiss him that time at the TV station? Don't bother denying it. I was there. I saw you. You were the one who initiated the kiss. You parted your mouth to let him in."

Shuichi staggered backwards in terror. "No… I didn't! I DIDN'T! I was just… I was just…"

"Can't come up with an answer?" Yuki snorted. "You can't because you did kiss him. You slept with him."

"No… no… I…" Shuichi's face contorted in pain as tears threatened to spill. His mind was in a whirl. He couldn't think straight. All he felt were Yuki's words piercing into him. He snapped his head up glaring at Yuki. "Even if I did, it's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! We're not related at all! Why do you care who I sleep with! You're the one who's sleeping with so many women and men at the same time! I don't need to listen to any of these!" He screamed all those words out in one breath and strode to the door, opening it, and at the same time controlling his sobs.

BANG!

Yuki slammed the door close before Shuichi could escape, trapping the boy in between his arms.

He spun Shuichi around and pushed him back against the door forcefully. "I'm not done talking with you. Don't you dare leave."

Shuichi widened his eyes in fright. He had never experienced this kind of fear when he was around Yuki before. Yuki would never physically hurt him… right?

"You're right. I'm currently sleeping with countless of women and a man. And since you're sleeping with two or more partners at the same time too…" Yuki leaned in close, pressing his body and his erection against Shuichi. Shuichi's beautiful violet eyes widened further as a blush tinged his cheeks.

"It doesn't matter if we add one more person to our lists… right?" Yuki whispered seductively into Shuichi's ear, causing Shuichi to shiver.

**(NC-17)**

The next second, Shuichi found himself pushed onto the bed with Yuki on top of him, and who was kissing him ferociously. His shirt was torn apart fully, exposing the upper half of his body. He turned his face to the side, trying to avoid Yuki's kisses, but that only left his slender neck open to the attacks.

"Yuki… no! Stop… stop!" He struggled desperately and tried to push the stronger man off him.

Yuki caught both of Shuichi's wrists and pinned them against the sheets, above the model's head. He continued his hungry kisses on the boy's lips and neck, trailing down along the boy's chest, and then sucking his erect nipples.

Shuichi gasped. "What are you doing! Get off me!"

In response, Yuki moved his hand down to Shuichi's pants, ignoring the boy's countless protests and repeated cries totally. "You say that you don't want this, but what's this? Your body is already responding to my touch…" He smirked.

Shuichi clenched his fists. "That's because you-" But he was prevented from talking any further as Yuki brutally attacked his lips again, forcing his tongue in.

Shuichi continued struggling in vain. Meanwhile, Yuki released one of Shuichi's hands and proceeded to unzip the boy's pants.

Shuichi gasped. "No! Yuki… Yuki… stop! Please!" But Shuichi's protests were tuned out and his pants were stripped off from him, and Yuki start stroking his groin. Tears stung his eyes as he tried badly to piece together all that was happening, hoping to make some sense of it.

Yuki released Shuichi's hands and moved down slowly, leaving traces of his kisses on his way down. He wrapped his hand around Shuichi's hardened erection and licked it before devouring it repeatedly at a slow pace, causing Shuichi to gasp and moan yet again.

Shuichi let out another strangled cry, digging his nails into the bedsheets as Yuki continued ravishing him.

_This can't be happening! It can't be happening!_ He clapped both hands over his mouth, hoping to stop the lust-filled voices from escaping his throat.

"Shuichi…" Yuki spoke in a quiet voice. "Let your voice out. I want to hear it… just like in the past…"

But that only made Shuichi tightened the lid over his mouth as he sobbed and shook his head slightly, with his face and body all heated up. This only made Yuki growled in frustration, and his hunger for the boy grew. His actions became more demanding and rough.

Shuichi's naked form lay on the bed, legs forced to spread wide apart as Yuki crawled back in between his legs, pants unzipped. His hands were free from Yuki's grasp now, but he had long lost all the strength to fight back. His soul was being torn apart at this very moment as a mixture of feelings battled inside him. One part of him wanted to escape from this bad dream, yet the other yearned for Yuki to carry on and take him whole. These feelings in opposition, these two conflicting sets of desires, were tearing him apart.

He gazed up fearfully into those golden orbs filled with lust, and he blinked back tears of confusion, not knowing how to react. He knew what was to come next as he watched Yuki squeezed a tube of lube. Then a finger teased his entrance.

"Ah! Ahh…!" He couldn't stop those lustful moans from forcing their way out of his mouth. Moaning and mewing with pleasure and shame and guilt, he tightened his grip on the sheets and twisted his face to the side with his eyes squeezed shut as Yuki pushed a finger in slowly.

Shuichi let out a shrill cry that sounded throughout the room, his body trembling uncontrollably. "Yukiiiiii! No!" His voice cracked as he choked on his sobs and pleas. "Please… don't…"

That seemed to snap Yuki out of his madness as he removed his finger gently. He then crawled up to face Shuichi, who had covered part of his tear-stricken face with one hand and was panting heavily.

"Shuichi…?" Yuki croaked.

The boy continued sobbing.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" Yuki voice broke as he buried his face beside Shuichi's in shame and guilt. _Oh god… What am I doing? What have I done! This is no different from… raping… right? Oh god… This is unforgivable. Will he ever forgive me? _He hugged Shuichi closer, in desperation. "I'm so sorry… I'm really sorry…"

Shuichi's sobs died down and he removed his hand from his face. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked sideways at the mess of golden hair, still breathing heavily.

_Yuki…?_ Shuichi frowned in confusion. This was the first time he heard Yuki apologized so sincerely and guiltily. _Is he crying? But why? Yuki? _

Something stirred in him. He was crumbling on the inside.

He reached out and buried his hands in Yuki's hair.

"Yuki?" He called out tentatively.

His body ached badly.

Yuki got up slightly and turned slowly to face Shuichi and was surprised as Shuichi pulled him close, crushing their lips together, along with their bodies.

His body ached so badly for Yuki's touch.

This time, he decided to let the flames of desire consumed him. He was attracted to the darkness of that desire. It was too much to resist.

He parted his mouth to let Yuki's tongue in which started exploring every corner of his mouth. After more groping and teasing and kissing the insides of Shuichi's thighs, Yuki was slipping in his third finger by now. Shuichi's cry reverberated throughout the whole room, his body writhing beneath the novelist.

Their need and desire for each other rose to a fever-pitch. Sweating and panting, they pressed their naked forms against each other. All that they saw was each other, and all that they felt was how muchthey wanted each other. Nothing else in the world mattered. Everything else in the world seemed so insignificant.

"Yuki… I want… you… inside me… now." Those were the only few words Shuichi could managed as he whimpered and breathed heavily. And they were the only words Yuki needed to hear. Shuichi squeezed his eyes shut, hands tightening their grip on the sheets until his knuckles turned white, tears staining his lovely red cheeks.

"You're so beautiful, Shuichi…" Yuki allowed himself to whisper those few words that do not belong to his style, before slamming into Shuichi in one full stroke.

"Yukiii!" Shuichi gasped and let out a stifled cry, his body twitching and his back arching upwards in complete elation, while Yuki couldn't help but moan. He repeated the thrusting motions, picking up the speed each time.

Finally, Shuichi screamed in his clear singing voice this time, cumming over both of them, and then welcoming Yuki's into him. Panting, he tried to catch his breath to calm his heart before it burst due to the overwhelming passion in him. As Yuki pulled out slowly, Shuichi whimpered softly again, before engaging his ex-lover in another deep, hot kiss, murmuring Yuki's name.

Finally, they allowed the darkness to overtake them, falling into a peaceful slumber together.

**xXx (end of NC-17) xXx**

It was night when Shuichi stirred. His eyelids fluttered open as he tried to make out where he was. He gazed at the sleeping angel beside him.

_Yuki…_

He leaned closer, breathing in the scent of the novelist for a few moments before creeping out of the bed slowly and quietly, careful not to wake the latter up. He picked up his clothes and put them on quickly, making sure not to trip over anything, and then slipped out stealthily leaving the door slightly ajar behind him, not taking any chances.

Once out of the room, he headed for the kitchen to pick up a can of cold beer, gulping the bitter liquid down his throat that was dry from all the begging and moaning and screaming just now.

His eyes landed on the bouquet of lilies.

_They'll wilt soon without water…_

And somehow, the idea of those beautiful flowers dying saddened him deeply. Looking around the kitchen, he randomly dug into the cupboards quietly hoping to find something that could hold the flowers, something like a vase.

_Nothing, nothing, nothing! God… I must be crazy to think that I could find such a thing in Yuki's apartment. A vase! Why would he need one!_

He was ready to give up when he spotted something deep in one of the lower cupboards.

_Ah! This is…_

He pulled the elegant see-through glass vase out carefully.

_I was the one who bought this back then... because I wanted to try brightening up the house with flowers. But we never had the time to take care of real flowers, so we settled for plastic ones…_

Smiling softly in reminiscence, Shuichi got up to fill the vase with water, letting the tap run at a low speed instead of turning it on fully. Once it was half-filled, he brought the vase to the coffee table and set it down, removed the lilies from the plastic wrappers and ribbons, and then placed them into the vase.

He smiled proudly and admired his work for a minute before getting up to leave, only to stop once again when he spotted a memo pad and a pen near the telephone.

**xXx xXx**

Yuki groaned as he turned to his side and opened his eyes to the darkness. It had been so long since he had such a good rest.

_What time is it?_

He glanced at the glowing numbers on the clock. 9:07pm.

_Shit… It's already so late! How in the world did I fall asleep in the first place? I must have been too tired after completing that latest chapter…_

He was ready to drift back into dreamland when it struck him.

_Shuichi!_

He whipped around to find the spot next to him empty.

…_Shuichi…_

Slipping into his pants and shirt, he walked out into the living room. It was dark and quiet, without the presence of any living thing. He flicked on the lights, but there was still no sign of Shuichi.

_He left…_

Just then, he noticed the vase of flowers sitting on the coffee table, along with the piece of paper beside it. He watched the vase of flowers as though it was something alien before picking up the note.

_Yuki,  
I Back then You forget _(A/N: this is supposed to be crossed out but ff apparently doesn't allow such effect. Grr...)  
_Thank you for saving me.  
Take care.  
I'm sorry.  
Goodbye.  
-Shuichi._

Yuki stared at the note for quite some time trying to understand all those words, before crushing it.

_Stupid brat. Though he cancelled out those few words in the first line, it's obvious he wants to forget everything that happened._

He aimed the note into the rubbish bin but missed.

_So be it. I guess…_

**xXx to be continued xXx

* * *

**

Ok… please don't flame me for the lemon scene. If I made any weird mistakes... I'll go dig a hole and hide myself... sigh... tell me please. And yes, I fast-forward some parts because I don't wanna go into too much detail! Eep!

This chapter was supposed to be longer. Somehow, after adding in stuff, linking everything up, making sure it flowed… the chapter just grew TOO long. I can't believe it. So I had to cut Shuichi's POV out and save it for the next chapter. Haha! Anyway, I really need to edit Shuichi's POV. I don't really like what I've written. Hmm…

Truthfully, I'm still thinking of how to go on from here. But I'll figure it out. Oh yeah, Yuki has to find out about what Shuichi did. I know! That will definitely be soon. I just needed Yuki to continue misunderstanding Shu in order to get this chapter done this way. Lol!

**THANK YOU, EVERYONE** for your reviews:  
**DarkRubberDuckyOfDoom:** Well, I know many feel that Tohma's in love with Yuki, but I don't belong in that group. (L) Anyway, everyone differs in how they interpret it, and well, YukiShu rules forever! Hahaha! I'm lame. (sob) And who's the person in the shadows? (frowns in confusion) Perhaps you mean Sei and his gang?  
**Rae Anderson:** Thank you so much!  
**cryearthstearsfalltou:** updated updated updated (laughs)  
**sirius'sheelah:** Haha! You reminded me of the time when I first watched Gravitation. It's the first boys love series I've ever watched! When Yuki and Shuichi first kissed, I did a fangirl scream and hid partly behind a pillow. From then onwards, I was chanting "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" while watching the rest of the anime. I really love seeing kisses! They're so sweet!  
**animegirl12182:** Well, the title of the fic kinda gives everything away. (Argh…)  
**Kadzuki Fuchoin:** (sweats) I really don't want to meet K…  
**BellaMuerte:** Thank you! I hope it doesn't get deleted too!  
**shinoa Yuuki:** Thank you!  
**Nko34:** arigatou!  
**NaughtyRaccoon:** Thanks! I hope the plot's not too cliché though… I've got a feeling it is (sigh)  
**lemur130:** I guess he shouldn't do too much of those "illegal" stuff he's capable of. Haha!  
**sansty-san:** Thank you for reading! What's 'flee by night'?  
**Grimy Grunhilda Grunt:** I think you're the only one who isn't rushing me to get the two of them back together! (laughs) Thanks!  
**JasLin:** Thank you so much for correcting me! (huggles) If there're any glaring mistakes in this chappie, please tell me! I'm really blind to my own mistakes… (sob)  
**Reiky:** I love these 2 stubborn guys too! Guess they must be punished for being too stubborn. Haha!  
**gravitation gig:** Knight in shining armor… saving the damsel in distress… it's always charming! (laughs)  
**ddz008:** Thank you! Sometimes, I can't submit reviews either… an error will crop out now and then. Hmm… but thanks for reading!  
**Mizuky:** Nooo! I'm definitely NOT good at writing lemons. (sigh. Sob) I hope I didn't disappoint you. Thanks so much for reading! (huggles)  
**Shadowfox13:** I love this version of Tohma better too…  
**Ildreen Love: **I hope you don't go pulling out your hair over this chapter! (laughs)  
**inuyashasdragonballs:** I guess you'll have to wait for a few more chapters. (laughs) I'm really not sure. Like I've said, I need to think of how to fill carry on from here till the ending. Argh! (makes a note to think hard. And fast.)  
**clear venom:** I'm glad you liked it! Thank you!  
**clari chan:** They have to go somewhere now! Well, most probably… hee…  
**Neko Kate-chan:** Oh yes! You reminded me! I've got to think of how to kick Miyabi's ass. Yippee! Haha!  
**cutelilpuppieyez:** You were saying something about a kiss? (laughs) I guess they did more than a kiss! (oops!... yay!)  
**GWL:** I hope I didn't take that long this time. And no, you can't have my babies! (laughs) I wanna have Yuki's babies. (kidding! Don't worry, Shu, I won't snatch Yuki from you. Besides, he'll definitely prefer you over me… or anyone else. Hmph.)  
**Flame-chan:** That's coming up soon. Let me figure out how to break the news to Yuki. (Hmm...)  
**mistressofhyde**: Sorry to keep you waiting! Hope this chapter's fine!  
**rebellion2fate:** You were saying something about a kiss too? (winks)  
**DarkMetalAngel of Destruction:** Thanks for reading!  
**kriziamoon:** I'm trying to keep the other characters in the picture… and failing badly… since "Bad Grasper" has kinda disappeared. (sob) I'll get them back in next chappie or something!  
**darknessflame89:** I hope I didn't take too long this time! (smiles)  
**darkangel818:** Yes! Yuki has to love Shu! Thank you for reading! (huggles)  
**rebellion2fate:** Haruko… hmm… she's still gonna be around, I think. But don't worry too much about her. Thanks for reading!


	19. Unforgettable Memories

**I'm sorry for taking such a long time. See how the chapter is divided into parts (or scenes) with "xXx xXx"? Well, I did one part at a time. My muse just wasn't working well. Plus, I was stuck for so long at the last scene… wasn't sure of how to continue. sob.**

**I'm also worried about the lemon in the previous chapter. Grimy Grunhilda Grunt did mention about people getting banned. It scared me. Eeks! Maybe I'll cut it out and put a link in for it tomorrow. Hmm… should I? Should I?**

**Well, on to the chapter for now. This chapter focuses largely on Shuichi's POV. Happy reading! (I hope!)**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 19 – Unforgettable Memories**

The playground was empty except for Shuichi who was sitting on the swing, swaying lightly to and fro. He hung his head low, staring at his feet as he thought about the events that had happened ever since he returned to Japan.

_What in the world was I thinking? I guess I really messed up big time… _

He slapped his forehead, and a small pained smile flitted across his face.

_Ah… Somehow my heart feels so heavy… as if there's a huge weight on it. It's so suffocating… I feel so tired…I wonder why?_

As much as he wanted to deny it, the answer to that stood clearly in his heart. He placed his feet on the ground to stop the swaying of the swing.

_I wonder how many times I've been through this… thinking back on the past, trying to figure out what went wrong with us._

When he was in America, there were nights where he would either cry himself to sleep or just stare blankly at the ceiling for hours. There were days where he couldn't get himself to budge from the bed, feeling like all he wanted to do was to disappear from the world.

He had tried blaming society for their breakup, blaming the media, blaming the whole world, and even God. Then there were times where he would hate Yuki for not loving him, for not trying hard enough, for pushing him away… well basically, for everything. However, somewhere deep in his heart, a part of him knew that the one who was at fault was him.

_I can't decide which is better: the pain, sadness, and confusion that were previously torturing me, or this bittersweet empty void that is now rooted within me.  
_

_The pool of emotions battling inside me in the past was sucking the very life and energy out of me every minute of my life. It's funny how I wished to forget you on one hand, but on the other hand, I wanted to remember you. How I wished for myself to stop thinking of you, but wanting to think of you at the same time. How I desire to stop loving you, yet beg for a chance to continue loving you…. I've been struggling to accept this separation, I've been struggling with life without you… it hurts… so much that words can't convey this pain in my heart._

_But all that's left now is this emptiness. Strange isn't it?_

_When I finally understood what I want, or rather, what I should do from this point onwards, my heart is overtaken by this emptiness. _

_I understand it now… I'm no longer confused. I know the reason for this heavy emptiness in me. _

_I know it very well._

Shuichi stood up and started on his way back to the hotel. It was late. Haruko and the rest of them would be worried for him. Moreover, he had switched his phone off in order to have some time alone.

_I love you but I'm incapable of reaching you. I tried to keep you by my side, but you were never really there beside me. That was what hurt the most. That was why I chose to let you go._

_Even though I love you so much… even though I wish to tell you how much I love you, I remember how you doubted and disliked it when I told you I love you. How you ignored me, thinking that it was foolish to be saying such stuff._

_Yuki…_

_The words I have to give, you don't want to hear. The love I have to give is too much for you to accept. You are the only one whom I wanted to give everything to, but I guess 'everything' was too much for you to bear._

_I'm sorry._

_It's entirely my fault… I understand that._

An image of Atsushi and Yuki (during the time of the typhoon) flashed past his mind. The way they chatted with each other, the casual touches, their mannerism… everything…

_I couldn't be like him. Even now, I'm sure that I can never be like him. He knows what you need and how much of that you need. Whereas I gave you a hundred percent when you didn't want a hundred percent… And worse still, I shamelessly desired a hundred percent back from you. _

He smiled bitterly.

_It was all off balance. You felt smothered by my love. That was why it collapsed. We collapsed. The burden was too heavy for the both of us._

_And now, I've found someone whom I do not give a hundred percent to, and I do not even expect much back from her. You have also found someone who is just right for you, haven't you?_

_That is why I can never return to your side. I'm afraid of going back to those times._

_But even so, I'm unable to stop loving you… I know that now. Even if I were given centuries to forget you, I could never do that. No matter what happens, my love for you will remain. So, although you don't want to be bound by my love, please let me continue loving you silently from afar. Allow me to continue thinking of you day and night, and loving you for every minute of my life. That is all I ask from you._

Shuichi entered the hotel and headed towards the café, where he knew Haruko and the rest of them would be.

_Ah… There she is… Beautiful and cheery as usual…She has no idea what had just happened. I feel so guilty. Not because I slept with you behind her back. But because I just realized that I had never looked at her the way I looked at you. I had never felt for her the way I felt for you._

"Shuichi!" Haruko waved and called out from the table where she was having dinner with Akiha, Tsuyoshi and Jun.

Surprisingly, Hiro was there as well. He waved and winked, grinning.

"Hiro?" Shuichi approached the table in puzzlement. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I intended to invite you to hang out together tonight, but I heard that you went to visit Yuki-san. So, how did it go?" Hiro asked in a casual tone, but Shuichi could tell that his gaze was imploring and concerned.

"He said that he's fine."

"So… you were with him all afternoon?" Akiha asked, surprised.

"Yup. But he blamed me for his injury and got me to settle his household chores while he locked himself in the study room to work."

_Nobody needs to know what just happened. I don't care if anyone is suspicious._

Shuichi smiled and carefully took a seat beside Haruko (as his ass still hurt), who moved to hook her hand around his arm.

"Have you eaten dinner? Are you hungry?" Haruko asked drew closer to him.

_For one moment, I was afraid that she would find out. Suddenly, I wanted her to stop touching me. I detest her touch. I hate it. I hate it._

"I ate a little just now. I'm not hungry… just tired out from doing all those chores. I think I'm going to take a bath now and sleep early. Do you mind?"

"Of course not!" She looked worried for a moment. "Anyway, we're invited to Seguchi-san's poolside party tomorrow evening. So it's better if you get enough rest tonight…"

"Really? Ok then…" Shuichi got up to leave, smiling apologetically at Hiro. "I'm sorry, Hiro. I'll see you at the party tomorrow ok?"

"Sure. Go get some rest."

Shuichi knew that he would have a lot to explain to Hiro tomorrow, but right now, he didn't care.

**xXx xXx**

Standing in front of the large mirror in the bathroom in the hotel room, Shuichi stared at his reflection. He looked normal. There were no obvious traces of that love-making session left on him. He had made sure that he looked fine… that his hair was straight, that his lips were not visibly swollen and such.

He lifted one hand up to touch his cheek, and then trailed his fingers along his lips.

In actual fact, his whole body was screaming with evidence that he had just been taken by someone. There were traces of Yuki everywhere on him.

But that's something he did not hate. That was why he wanted Haruko to stop touching him then. He didn't want the scent of Yuki ruined.

He considered not taking a shower. He didn't want to wash away Yuki's touches and kisses. He didn't want to lose the feeling of Yuki in him.

He unbuttoned his shirt swiftly, letting it fall to the floor.

He smiled.

_Guess it's ok if I take a bath… since this will remain._

He touched the bruise on his left shoulder lightly.

_Yuki's mark on me…_

Removing the rest of his clothes, he stepped into the shower, noting that there were a few bruises on the inside of his thighs and elsewhere too. Luckily, they could be hidden by wearing the right clothes. And besides, he had prevented Yuki from leaving any marks around the neck.

_I'm no longer afraid of loving you. I'll continue loving you until the end of time. No matterwhat you think, my love for you will always remain true. But this time, I'll keep this love to myself. _

After drying himself off and putting on plain clothes, Shuichi walked out to the bed and fell down upon it lazily, welcoming the sleep that had been threatening to take over him, and at the same time welcoming the dreams with Yuki in them.

**xXx xXx**

Yuki Eiri took one last look at the mirror before heading out. He knew that he always looked good, but it wouldn't hurt to check. Besides, he didn't want reporters and journalists making out some crap like how depressed he was ever again. God, that was so irritating back then.

He slipped his car keys into his pocket and left the house for the nearby store. Yes, he knew that there was a poolside party held at Tohma's majestic bungalow today, but there was no way that he was going. Even if it meant that he might have to suffer Tohma's annoying check-ups and Mika's grating lectures later. He understood that Shuichi would be there, and he was not prepared to see Shuichi yet.

He was on his way to his car when a commotion taking place nearby caught his attention.

"Let go of me, you bastard!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You were trespassing, Miss. I've got to hand you over to the police if you can't explain your actions."

"Get you hands off me or I'm going to accuse you of molesting me!"

Although it was none of his business, something about the female's voice attracted Yuki. It was kind of familiar. He strode towards the source of the commotion and there she was… Tanaka Miyabi… struggling with the security guard.

A bizarre anger flared up inside him.

"Yu-Yuki-san…" The security guard stuttered when he noticed Yuki.

At the sound of Yuki's name, Miyabi seemed to stop struggling. All of a sudden, she lunged for Yuki, screaming with rage.

"It's all your fault!" She tried to reach for Yuki's neck in an attempt to strangle him, but Yuki pushed her away easily. He was too strong for her.

"Crazy bitch." Yuki snapped in an icy tone, bent down and grabbed her arm in a death grip. "Why did you send them after Shuichi?"

When Miyabi refused to answer or even look at him, he tightened his grip on her arm, and a pained look crept onto her face.

"I'm asking one last time. Why?"

This time, she glared daggers at him.

"Why?" She mimicked, her voice getting hysterical. "That's because he ruined my plan to destroy you. He made a deal with Sawada, agreeing to sing in exchange for all those secrets I dug out about you, and ruined everything!"

Yuki was taken aback by her answer. His grip on her loosened. "What?"

Miyabi laughed bitterly. "Damn it. What's so great about him singing anyway? What's so great about that? I thought I might still have a chance… that Sawada would go back on the deal, but that stupid brat actually got help from Seguchi Tohma."

Yuki stepped back in shock. "He was singing for me?"

"Since he ruined everything, of course he'll have to pay. Besides, since I can't wreck your career, I figured out a better way of getting back at you. It isn't hard to see that the boy's important to you."

Miyabi smirked as Yuki stiffened. "How would you feel if you were to lose him forever?"

SLAP!

Miyabi covered her burning cheek as the security tried to calm both parties down.

"Don't you dare touch him, or I'll make sure that you wished that you were dead." A murderous glint flashed past his narrowed eyes as he warned coldly. He turned to leave and stopped when he heard the next line.

"You would have to be alive to do that."

Yuki swiveled around and found Miyabi charging at him with a knife in her hands.

He prepared himself, but someone intercepted the mad woman for him. The guy had grabbed Miyabi's arm swiftly and twisted it, forcing her to drop her knife.

"Eiri-san, are you ok?" Atsushi asked in concern.

Taking advantage of Atsushi's distraction, Miyabi bit his hand, managed to free herself out of his grasp, and started taking off in panic.

"Hey! Wait!" The security guard called out after her. He turned back to Yuki. "Yuki-san, should I call the police?"

"Go ahead." Yuki simply replied. He turned and strode towards his car.

"Eiri-san? Where are you going? The woman may still be out there planning something dangerous." Atsushi trailed after Yuki.

Yuki stopped in his tracks as he realized that his car was damaged – the wind screen, and all the windows, were smashed. _Shit. There's no way I can drive that out now. Damn!_

"Did that woman do this as well?"

_That's right! _Yuki turned to regard Atsushi. "Did you drive here?"

Atsushi nodded.

"Good. I need your car."

Atsushi frowned. "But Eiri-san…"

"Shut up. I really need to get there. Where did you park it?"

"Right outside. If you're really going out, let me drive you there. Or else, I'm not handing it over to you."

"Fine, fine!" Yuki barked and headed for the car hurriedly. "I'm heading over to Seguchi's house."

**xXx xXx**

Shuichi sat at the table, staring absentmindedly at his surroundings. Tohma's new bungalow was big. The pool was well, average. But everything seemed so grand. He wondered briefly why the Seguchis needed such a big house.

He stared at Suguru and Noriko bickering, then at Sakano spinning over to try and calm them down.

He decided that people-watching could turn into an interesting hobby for him. At times, he would just sit and stare, and some other times he would start trashing his subject on his/her fashion sense (it's an occupational disease), and yet at some other times he would make up his own version of their life story.

Thinking. It was something he did quite often now.

What brought him back to reality was the touch of cold metal against his forehead. This was something vaguely familiar. He missed this feeling. Thus, he allowed the metal to be glued to his temple a little longer.

But he knew that he could easily lose his life if he pushed pass the limit. He didn't want to die. Not yet. Even though his life's so screwed up right now.

"K. Get that thing off my head. Are you nuts?" Shuichi snapped and moved away from the magnum.

"You're smoking." The blonde manager replied as if it was a crime.

"So?"

"It's bad for your lungs."

Shuichi stared at the stick in his hands and frowned. _Lungs? I can still breathe fine, thank you. _

He considered telling K that recently, he found it hard to breathe if he didn't smoke. _Nah, he might really blast my head off._

"Can I try that too?" Ryuichi asked innocently. As if he didn't know better.

And K started giving him a lecture on how smoking damages the lungs and throat and how it affects singing.

"Huh? Then Shuichi shouldn't smoke too!" Ryuichi argued.

"Sakuma-san, I don't sing anymore."

"But you were singing on TV the last time…"

"That was…" Shuichi paused. _An exception._ "…for promotion purposes."

"Is that so…?" Ryuichi then ran away, with K chasing after him, leaving the two friends alone.

_Singing… that's none of my concern now._

"I didn't know you smoked, Shuichi. When didyou start?" Hiro frowned suspiciously.

Shuichi smiled. _My best friend. Nobody knows me better. He must be thinking that I turned to smoking because I was just too depressed. Well, that's partly correct. But I can't let anyone know that._

"Akiha offered me one. Not that he did it willingly… one of the photo shoots needed me to smoke. It was for my job."

_That was partly true too, only that I had begun smoking before that photo shoot came along. Well, Hiro didn't need to know that._

"Is that so…" Hiro did not look convinced. "So where's that boss of yours? And your girlfriend?"

"Akiha is busy with the photos we took this afternoon. Tsuyoshi, Jun and Haruko have to settle the plans for the closing of the exhibition at Sense Gallery."

"Closing?"

"Yup. I'm going back to America in three days time. Remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Hiro trailed off, sounding a little sad. "Don't you need to help out then?"

Shuichi grinned. "I chose to spend more time with you guys."

Hiro snorted. "Lazy ass." Then he glanced at the cigarette in my hand. "I don't know when you started, but you shouldn't smoke too much. It's bad for your health."

"I know… I only do it once in a while… when I'm stressed." Shuichi moved his chair close to Hiro. It was true. He wasn't a heavy smoker. Ever since that time, he only had a stick now and then. Akiha didn't like it when he smoked and would pester him endlessly whenever he caught him smoking. But with yesterday's events weighing heavily on his mind, he couldn't help it but turn to smoking again.

_When did it start?_ He searched his memory for an answer, and pieces of it came flowing back slowly.

(Flashback)

_It was night, yet it was glowing outside. Hmm… oh yeah. That was snow. Glowing white specks of light drifting magically down from the black sky._

_Snow… it was pretty, yet icy cold. It floated down without a care in the world, just set on going its own way. Just like him. He was like the snow._

_I was alone. I was cold. I needed something to warm me up._

_An idea struck me as I passed by the store. I went in, taking in the different brands of cigarettes on the shelf. Why not, I shrugged._

_I didn't have the mood to party on that very Christmas day, leaving a message on Akiha's phone informing him that I'm taking a break out of the city. It was all lies though. I was too lazy to get out of the city. Instead, I booked a hotel room somewhere less conspicuous, yet safe enough._

_Half-lying on the bed, I picked out a stick and started sucking on it, inhaling too deeply on my first try, thus choking myself. It was great though. This surge of nicotine-produced energy flowed throughout my whole body and sent a tingling sensation down my spine._

_Ooh… no wonder there're millions of people out there smoking even though it shortens their lifespan. Life has too much fucked up stuff in it that it didn't matter if I had less of it. I'd rather go for those soothing sticks._

_I inhaled again, blew the smoke out, and licked my lips. There was something in the taste of the cigarettes that bothered me, but I couldn't make out what it was exactly._

_I looked out of the window at the happy light, happy people, happy everything. Occasional cheers of happiness could be heard too. I wonder briefly what the cause of the happiness was. Christmas? If that's so, it was all so childish. _

_The happiness didn't reach me. I didn't belong to the world. I was isolated in my room._

_I stared out at the snow. Once again, I was enthralled by its cold beauty. It seemed to me that the snow was something too sacred and beautiful for me. On top of that, it was mocking me._

_Then I wondered briefly if it was snowing back there._

_I continued staring, unable to take my eyes off those white specks._

_I glanced down at the third stick in my hand. God. This is addictive._

_I stared at it. I admired its elegant shape, its irresistible charm, and the lovely pleasures it was hiding in its body. Well, at least the cigarettes weren't mocking me. They were inviting me with open arms. I get a mental vision of a huge white stick standing upright, smiling slyly and reaching out to me with two arms. Downright stupid. In the past, I might have been amused, but not now. _

_Then I wondered if this was how it welcomed him back then too._

_I stared at the smoke drifting upwards from the tip of the stick. I stared at the smoke I blew out from my mouth._

_How mesmerizing. It formed a ghostly shape. It was all so ethereal. I stared at the different shapes trying to make out what they were. But before I could decide, they had morphed into something else and seconds later, they vanished. It was a little irritating, actually. There I was trying to make out what those shapes were and they were refusing to give me a chance to win this game. How did they even escape from me? I was sure that the doors were locked, and the windows were closed. Not even the bathroom door was open._

_Oh yeah… through the air-conditioner, maybe. Or some vents._

_Then I wondered briefly if the grey figure I was staring at, at that moment, was him. It sure did looked a little like him._

_I continued on to my fourth stick. Then, to my fifth. My sixth. My seventh. Damn. I should have bought a dozen packs! Now I'll probably have to go back out to buy more…_

_It struck me then. Or maybe part of me had already realized it earlier, yet I was unwilling to acknowledge it. I wondered briefly if this was all about him, if I was doing all these because of him. I tried to push this thought out of my mind. I tried to focus on the fascinating things that had captured my attention just – the snow, the cigarette, and the smoke._

_Then I wondered briefly which of them reminded me most of him – _

_The snow, the cigarette, or the smoke. _

_Or maybe... just maybe...the bittersweet taste left in my mouth that reminded me of his kisses._

(End of flashback)

"So, what happened between you and Yuki-san yesterday?"

Shuichi jumped slightly at the sudden question. "What?"

Hiro stared at the boy. "You can't lie to me, Shuichi. We've been friends for so many donkey years!"

Shuichi kept quiet for a moment before bursting into giggles. "Hirooo… you sound like an old man!"

"Shut up…" Hiro knocked him on the head playfully.

"Well… nothing much happened. I didn't stay at his house for long." He paused. "I hope he's not coming today…"

"Don't worry. I heard from Tatsuha that he refused to come no matter what Seguchi-san and Mika-san said."

"Good." Shuichi breathed a sigh of relief, and then grew solemn. "Hiro, do you believe that some things can be so deeply etched into your memory that no matter how many years you're given, you can never really forget them?"

Hiro gave his friend a sympathetic look. "Shuichi…"

"All the time I was in America, I was so afraid that I would think of him in the middle of the night. I was so afraid that I would accidentally catch news of him. I was so afraid that it would be hard to forget once I'm all alone. And what was worse was that I was afraid that I would suddenly wish that I didn't decide back then… leaving him and all." Shuichi picked up his glass of liquor and took a sip. "But I didn't want to cling on the relationship back then because I didn't want to go on hurting myself and hurting him…"

Hiro sighed. "Everyone says that they do not wish to hurt the other party whenever they ask for a separation. But in the end, they still end up hurting one after another… and of course, they end up to be the ones hurting most."

An image of Haruko flashed past Shuichi's mind. "So you mean that I shouldn't have left him?"

"Don't think that way… I understand that you loved him a lot, and that it must have taken you everything to leave him. But since you've decided on that, you've got to move on. Give yourself more time. Time is a healer."

Shuichi snorted. "People say that, but they also say that absence make the heart fonder. It's confusing, you know? Even if time heals the wounds, the scars are left behind." He leaned his head on Hiro's shoulder. His voice dropped to a soft whisper. "And maybe, just maybe… it's not that I can't forget… but that I don't want to forget… this thought frightens me."

That last sentence lingered in the air between the two of them for some time. None of them spoke.

Finally, Hiro wrap his arm around Shuichi. "Are you going to cry again?"

"Nope." Shuichi blinked blankly. "Funny how my tears seemed to have dried up... I can't cry even if I wanted to. But I don't mind a hug…" He clambered all over Hiro. "Hirooooooo, hug meeeeee…"

"Ok, ok. Here you go…" Hiro obliged and tried pacifying his spoilt friend. "And I had wanted to say that you've grown more matured over the year, but now… you haven't really changed, have you?"

"Oi, those two over there! When are you going to stop hugging and flirting!" Tatsuha yelled from the other side of the pool, close to the house. "Shuichi! Tohma wants to see you! He's in the study room!"

Shuichi frowned as he looked over at Tatsuha.

"I wonder what Seguchi-san wants with you. Did you do anything?" Hiro was frowning in puzzlement as well.

Shuichi shrugged as he twisted his cigarette in the ashtray. "I'll go take a look." But in actual fact, he had a feeling what this was all about.

**xXx xXx**

"Shindou-san, are you ok?" Tohma asked as soon as Tatsuha left the room.

Shuichi blinked. "Huh? Erm, yeah… I'm fine."

Tohma smiled. "Well, you have to be careful. Tanaka Miyabi has not been arrested yet. She may be plotting something again."

"Oh…" Shuichi replied as realization dawned on him. _Is that why Akiha has been so jumpy and clingy lately?_ "I will."

Tohma was silent for a minute, and Shuichi grew uncomfortable.

"Seguchi-san, is anything wrong?"

Tohma hesitated. "It's just that… that day at the hospital, Eiri-san was asking me about you interfering with Tanaka's plot."

"You didn't tell him, did you?" Shuichi asked agitatedly, jumping out of his chair and slamming his hands onto the desk.

"No, I didn't. But, he'll find out about it sooner or later…"

Shuichi slumped back into his chair and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I know. But I'll be leaving in a few days time. Before that, I think it's best to leave matters as how they are now."

"Shindou-san…"

"I don't want to complicate matters. I've said that."

Tohma sighed. "Fine. But please be careful. And, thank you so much for helping us back then. Please express my thanks to Sakurai-san too. He seems to take really good care of you, backing you up and all."

Shuichi grimaced. "Well, it's true that he was helpful… if he hadn't turned up in time, I might not have been able to deal with Sawada alone. But, he's not such a great guy! For everything I asked him to help me with, he insists on some kind of reward! Stupid asshole!"

"So what kind of reward did he ask for this time?" Tohma smiled.

"Well, he…!" Shuichi trailed off in embarrassment as he remembered the kiss. "He… uhm… he…"

"So that's how it is." A cold voice sounded from the door.

Shuichi whipped around and almost died of a heart attack.

"Eiri-san!"

Yuki glared at Tohma, then at Shuichi. He strode towards the latter and pulled the paralyzed boy up from the chair forcefully, shooting him a piercing gaze. "What's the meaning of this!"

"Wha-what?" Shuichi whispered fearfully.

"Eiri-san, wait a minute! Hear me out! We-"

"Shut up!" Yuki shouted at Tohma, before turning back to look at Shuichi in the eye. "I'd rather hear it from this guy over here. I want to talk to him alone. Get out." His words carried a deadly undertone that left no room for protests.

Tohma looked helplessly from Yuki to Shuichi.

"Get out now."

"Ok…" Tohma had no choice but to comply. "But please calm down, Eiri-san."

Once Tohma was out of the room, Shuichi wrenched his hand out of Yuki's grasp. "I… I…"

"What? Don't have the guts to own up for what you did?" Yuki moved closer to Shuichi, causing the boy to step back. "Meddling in my affairs, getting an idiot to back you up and then sleeping with him to thank him, and now, that mad woman is after your life. How lovely. Should I be grateful to you?"

With every accusation, he stepped forward towards Shuichi, forcing the boy to back against the desk.

_How dare he say that again!_

Shuichi gritted his teeth, furious. "I didn't sleep with him. How many times do I have to say that!"

"Oh really? I wouldn't know, since you love lying to me so much."Yuki leaned forward, trapping Shuichi between his arms once again.

Shuichi looked away and blushed, leaning as far back as he could. "Get-get away from me! Move!"

Yuki narrowed his eyes and kept quiet and still for a few moments, before removing his hands from the desk. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Shuichi's heart was still thumping wildly.

"Help me. Why did you help me?"

"I… that was because… I…"

_I love you._

"Yes?"

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you!_

_Can't you hear me?_

Shuichi bit his lip in anguish. "I… I don't see what's so strange with helping… helping a friend out…"

_A friend?_ Yuki's heart seemed to contract at that.

"I helped you and you saved me, so we're quits. And, if it wasn't you back then… if any of my friends were in danger, I would sacrifice everything to help them too. It's not that you're special or anything like that..."

_No, that's not true. I love you, I love you, I still love you!_

… _It's just that I can't say it out loud anymore…_

"So that's how it is. I'm not special."

_Huh?_ Shuichi looked up, confused. _Was that… was there hurt in his voice? _

"Then, allow me to express my thanks for your help…" Yuki reached out suddenly and lifted Shuichi's chin up, crushing his lips down upon the boy's. He pressed on hard for a response, taking advantage ofShuichi'sstunned reactionto slip his tongue in, exploring the warm cavern slowly and skillfully.

After a few moments, Yuki pulled away, leaving Shuichi dazed and shocked.

"That was a _'thank you kiss' _for you." Yuki whispered bitterly into Shuichi's ear, sending a tingle down Shuichi's spine.

SPLASH!

Shuichi dropped the empty plastic cup onto the carpeted floor and bolted out of the room, still blushing furiously.

"Eiri-san!" Tohma shrieked in anxiety as he stared at the empty cup, and at Yuki's face which was dripping wet.

"Shuichi? Where are you going!" Footsteps sounded up the stairs and the next minute, Mika came bursting in. "Tohma! What's going on? Shuichi left! I heard some shouting and… Eiri!" Mika stopped short at the door and gasped when she noticed Yuki. "I didn't know you were coming. What happened?"

Tohma rushed a get a towel while Yuki wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "Stupid brat…" His features softened. "I just don't understand you…"

Meanwhile, Shuichi ran out of the house, without bothering with his goodbyes.

_What the hell was that all about! Stupid, stupid Yuki! You **were** special… but you didn't want to be… so why are you acting this way now? Why? Why! You're confusing me…_

His head was whirling. He wanted so much to cry, but there weren't any tears left to shed.

"Shindou-san?"

Shuichi whipped around and found himself face to face with Suzuki Atsushi. The guy seemed to be heading into the house.

_So… Yuki brought him to the party?_

"Shindou-san, you look very red. Are you running a fever?" Atsushi reached out and pressed his palm against Shuichi's forehead.

_Then why did Yuki even bothered to ask me those questions? Why did he sound so hurt by what I said? Why did he kiss me? It was all just a 'thank you kiss' eh?_

Shuichi slapped Atsushi's hand away and took off, ignoring the calls of Atsushi. Once he reached a safe distance away from Tohma's house, he picked out his phone, trembling. The line clicked.

"A-Akiha? I need you. Please."

**xXx to be continued xXx

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**Done! Heehee… Sorry for the last scene. I didn't know what I wanted, so it somehow turned out like that. SOB!**

**I'm really brain-dead now, so pardon me for not answering your reviews individually! Sorry! Sorry!**

**And about how chapters there will be… I can't give you a definite answer, but it's going to end soon. Let's see… this is** **chapter 19, so I guess there should be around 22 chapters? Yes, that's the estimate.**

**Well then, that's it for now!**


	20. Truth and Deceit

**Sorry for the late update! I was distracted by Mirage of Blaze… heehee. Mirage of Blaze is so intriguing! The relationship between Kagetora and Naoe just blows me away. A love so intense, it's to the point of desperation, obsession, hatred, envy, pain, etc, etc, etc. Gyaaa! I just love it. But the anime and ova are not yaoi enough. I want more, more, more! sob I really want to read the novels, but my Japanese isn't up to that level yet. sigh**

**For now, let's go back to Gravitation.**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation is not mine.

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**MOU ICHI DO  
Chapter 20 – Truth and Deceit**

_Here it comes again…_ Shuichi groaned inwardly and turned back to his dear pal for the last twenty minutes – the toilet bowl. He vomited for the third time ever since he had arrived back at his hotel room. Feeling emptied and totally grossed out, he flushed the toilet bowl and pushed himself off the ground, back up to the sink to wash his mouth. He splashed the cool water onto his face at the same time, trying to wash away his all his thoughts. The room was quiet except for the sounds of running water and heavy breathing. Shuichi stared at himself in the mirror, watching droplets of water trickling down his pale face, his eyes coming to a rest on his lips – the tingling sensation of Yuki's kiss still remained.

"_Why did you help me?"_

_Because I love you._

"_Friends… You aren't special."_

"_Then, allow me to express my thanks for your help… That was a 'thank you kiss' for you…"_

…

"_Shindou-san?"_

_Yuki brought him to the party?_

_Indeed, Yuki had brought him to the party._

Shuichi stumbled down onto his knees, leaning against the sink for support. _I thought that I'd be happy enough to be able to stay close to you, even if we can't be together. But somehow, when you're right before my eyes and I can't reach out to you, it hurts much more than when I can't see you._

He heard the door clicked open, followed by muffled hurried footsteps.

"Shuichi? Shuichi, are you ok?"

Shuichi glanced up at Akiha and gave him a small smile.

Akiha frowned, obviously worried. "What the hell are you doing? Your shirt's all wet! You've got to change out of it before you fall sick…"

Meanwhile, Shuichi dragged himself up to a standing position and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Here." Akiha was about to pass Shuichi a clean shirt when he froze suddenly.

"Shuichi… what's all these!" He grabbed the boy roughly by the arms, causing him to yelp in pain. "Where did you get them!"

"Ouch! Let go of me! It hurts, you idiot!"

"They're all over you…" Akiha freed Shuichi, but still looked on in shock. "Don't tell me… that time when you went to visit him… you…" He searched Shuichi's eyes, hoping for some form of denial. Yet, Shuichi's silence confirmed his suspicion. "Oh my god… I can't believe this. How could you…"

Shuichi snatched the shirt in Akiha's hand and slipped it on.

"I found you weird after you came back that night, and you've been acting weird these few days too. But I didn't expect this at all… what in the world were you thinking!"

"If lecturing me is the only thing you can think of, then stop. I don't want to hear it." Shuichi snapped and pushed past Akiha. He flopped down onto the bed and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one stick.

"You're smoking again?" Akiha frowned when the boy continued to ignore him. Getting seriously pissed off now, he swiped the lighted cigarette away from Shuichi. "Stop it. Listen to me."

Instead of doing just that, Shuichi pulled out another cigarette and lighted it nonchalantly.

"Shuichi!" Akiha pulled the boy off the bed forcefully. He held Shuichi's chin in place, forcing the boy to look at him. "Don't you think you need to explain this? What were you thinking back then? What do you plan to do now?"

"I don't see a need to explain matters to you. Who are you to me?"

Akiha gritted his teeth. "Fine. What about Haruko then? From what I know, she's still your girlfriend, isn't she? But you went ahead and cheated on her?"

Silence.

"If you're planning to run back to your old lover, shouldn't you first give your current lover a warning? Don't you think you owe her that much at least!"

Anger flashed in Shuichi's violet orbs. "I didn't say that I was going back to him! Not now, not ever!"

"Then what's the meaning of this?"

"I don't see why you're making a fuss over this! It was nothing! Yes, we slept together, but so what? It was plain fucking and nothing more. We did it in the heat of a moment, only to satisfy our lust. It was just casual sex… a one-night stand... casual sex! Get it! So, this isn't important at all!"

"Is that so…?"

Shuichi was about to shoot Akiha a dangerous glare when Akiha brought his lips down onto his. His eyes widened in shock. The kiss was slow and sensual at first, but grew with fervor as Shuichi took time struggling to comprehend the matter at hand.

"Nnn… what are you…" Shuichi's protest was cut off as Akiha's kiss grew more forceful. The next thing he knew, he was being pushed back down onto the bed, with Akiha pinning down his wrists with one hand, and groping his body with the other hand.

"St-stop! What are you doing! No... No! Don't! STOP IT!"

Akiha sighed and released the trembling boy. "See? And you're telling me it was nothing? Who do you think you're lying to, you silly idiot? I know that you're never into casual sex…" He paused before moving on. "You slept with him because you still love him very much, right?"

"…So what? There's nothing I can do about the fact that I slept with him again, there's nothing I can do about the fact that I still love him, there's nothing I can do about anything at all…"

"Aren't you just running away?"

"No, I'm not!" Shuichi shouted and curled on his side. "At least now… I'm not denying that I still love him."

"Are you going back to him?"

"…No."

"If that is so, make it clear to him so that he'll stop bothering you. Avoiding him won't solve the problem. Since it'll be a long time before you set foot in Tokyo again, why not settle this once and for all? Drawing matters to a conclusion would be good… for him, for you, and for Haruko."

"…"

"Anyway, you should get some sleep first. You look terrible! You can think about it later, and I'll be in my room if you want to talk." Akiha ruffled Shuichi's hair affectionately. "Don't worry, everything's going to be alright. I'll be there for you no matter what you choose to do." He pressed a chaste kiss on Shuichi's hair and left.

Shuichi stared into space for a whole fifteen minutes before resigning himself to sleep. Recent events had rendered him too tired to even think properly now.

The last thing he remembered before drifting into darkness was, strangely, Haruko.

**xXx xXx xXx**

"Hmm? You guys are back already?" Akiha asked in surprise as he met Haruko, Jun, and Tsuyoshi on his way to the bar.

"Well, our poor girl here couldn't enjoy herself one bit knowing that Shuichi left early because he was unwell. That's why we're back…" Jun sighed while hugging an enormous bag. "Yuki-san wasn't in a good mood either. And to think I brought so many novels wishing that he would autograph them."

"How's Shuichi?" Haruko asked, looking a little pale and out of sorts.

"He threw up and all, but he was feeling better when I left him to rest. I think he's asleep by now."

"I'll go check on him."

"I don't think you should. You might wake him up."

Haruko ignored Akiha and continued on her way to Shuichi's room. "It's ok, I'll be real quiet."

Akiha stared after her for a moment before shrugging. "I'm going to get a drink."

"I'll come with you." Tsuyoshi eyed Akiha knowingly. They proceeded on their way, leaving Jun to sulk over her un-autographed novels.

Down at the bar, Akiha ordered a Chivas Mist and a Rum Martini and lighted a cigarette. The drinks came and Tsuyoshi picked up the Rum Martini. "So how is he?"

"I'm not sure…" Akiha took a sip at his drink. "But he looked like hell just now. He seems to be struggling a lot. Especially after recent events…"

"Recent events?"

Akiha watched a lady took a seat at the piano. Her slender fingers glided over the keys.

Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat.

Tsuyoshi seemed to get the point. "Is he planning to stay?"

"He answered 'no'. And I think he meant it, even though he doesn't necessarily want it that way."

"What do you mean?"

"In my opinion, he's not afraid of how he truly feels, but he's afraid of moving on from that point. Right now, the only path that is presented to him is to come with us, yet, his heart is rejecting this path. However, leaving this path and chasing after his desired one would mean having to face countless obstacles that he isn't confident of winning at all. In the end, he could lose both paths." Akiha blew out a trail of smoke. "Scary, isn't it?"

"It's a funny way to explain it, but I think I get what you mean."

Akiha smiled teasingly. "You're worried for Haruko, aren't you?"

Tsuyoshi sighed. "She is my sister. I don't want to see her getting hurt."

"Well, go ahead and blame me then."

"…"

"I wonder…" Akiha rested his left cheek against his palm, and picked up a Mai Tai with his other hand. "Maybe I shouldn't have given him away to Haruko back then. I'm starting to regret it."

"Ha-ha. That's not funny, Akiha."

"I'm not kidding. Shuichi's a real cutie, you know? His hair smells of strawberries, his slender body is so huggable, and he has a nice ass. Not to mention that he's a sweetie at heart, and a silly idiot too. Kawaiiiiiiii…"

"Right, right. Shut up, you crazy pervert."

"You know what? I told him that I'll be there for him no matter what he decides to do, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to let him go when the time comes."

"Akiha…"

"I told myself that I was protecting him by getting him into a normal relationship. That was the reason why I never held him back. But the truth is… I knew how much he loved that guy. And I wasn't confident of winning that guy. In the end, I allowed Haruko to take that bet."

"I can assure you that she was willing to take that bet."

"Coming to Japan was a mistake too. I forced him to return here. I practically led him to that guy again."

"Stop blaming yourself. I don't understand why you're saying all these now."

"He's breaking down again because of what I did…"

"Akiha! Stop it. This isn't like you at all. Shuichi's going to be alright. He's stronger than he seems. So, stop this. You're not helping him by behaving like that." Tsuyoshi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're tired. Get some sleep and you'll be fine. I'll see you to your room."

Minutes later, Akiha fell down onto the bed, beside Shuichi, who shifted slightly, but continued sleeping. He gazed at the boy's sleeping face and admired his little model's perfect features. Smiling slightly, he snuggled closer and wrapped an arm around the boy, drifting off to sleep as well.

**xXx xXx xXx**

Shuichi stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes lazily.

_Ah… so warm…_

"Yuki… I love you…" He snuggled closer to the warm body, and froze.

_Hold on. Hold on for a minute. This…Yuki doesn't smell like this. Then…_

He jerked up, away from the stranger, and accidentally fell off the bed with a loud thud, pulling the sheets down with him.

"Hmm? What… Shuichi, what are you doing down there? Are you hurt?"

"You…" Shuichi convulsed with anger. "What are you doing in my bed!"

"…Sleeping with you?"

"WTF. Don't say it as if it's a natural thing to do!"

"But-"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear any of your nonsense." Shuichi glared threateningly before stomping off to the bathroom.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna wash up and then go out!"

Akiha grabbed Shuichi's arm and pulled the latter into his embrace.

"What-"

"I know. I'm sorry. But... let me hold you for a little while?"

Shuichi frowned at the strange tone in Akiha's voice. "Akiha? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Akiha released Shuichi and smiled. "So, have you thought about it?"

Shuichi remained silent for a minute. "I guess the only way to end all these is to talk to him about it. I don't want to continue trying to understand what's on his mind. I wish to get this settled before we leave for America."

Akiha blinked. "…You're leaving with us?"

"Of course!" Shuichi remarked in surprise, and then looked away sadly. "I don't think there's any chance that I'll be staying…"

Half an hour later, Shuichi stood in front of the mirror, and nodded slightly at himself when he approved of what he saw. He stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him.

"Shuichi? You're going out?"

Shuichi spun around and saw Haruko who had just walked out of her room too. He stared at her for a moment before smiling. "Yup."

Her face fell. "Oh. Where are you going? Can I tag along?"

Shuichi faltered. "I'm going to meet Hiro. Ayaka-san is not going to be there, so I don't think you would want to come along too."

"Oh… ok…" She returned him a tight smile. "Be careful then."

"Bye."

Haruko watched Shuichi's retreating back with a pained look in her eyes. She held up the cell phone in her left hand. "Hello? Sorry, Ayaka-san… you were talking about meeting up?"

"Yup! I'm out with Nakano-san now. Do you and Shuichi want to meet us for lunch?"

Haruko felt a lump in her throat.

"Haruko-chan? Haruko-chan!"

"… I'm sorry, we're busy today. But thanks for the offer…"

She hung up as a tear slid down her cheek, and hurried back into her room before anyone saw her.

**xXx xXx xXx**

Yuki sighed mentally for the hundredth time that day and stared at the TV absentmindedly. However, whatever he tried distracting himself with, his mind defied him by drifting off to thoughts of Shuichi.

_So the only reason he sung again was because of me… and the only reason he kissed that guy was also because of me…_

_Does that mean that he still loves me?_

_But he told Seguchi that he didn't want me to know about it… saying that he didn't want to complicate matters…_

_Does that mean that he doesn't want to have anything to do with me?_

_What the heck. I don't understand him at all! What the hell is he thinking?_

"Eiri-san, is something wrong? You've been staring into space for the whole day…" Atsushi reached for Yuki and lightly brushed away the hair that had fallen over his eye. He then turned Yuki's face towards him and started kissing Yuki softly on the lips. "Eiri-san…"

"I'm not in the mood for this."

"Then I'll help you get in the mood for it." Atsushi smirked teasingly. He started unbuttoning Yuki's shirt.

There was twinkle of mischief in those violet eyes. Violet eyes…

A flashback of a brown-haired boy writhing beneath him attacked his mind:  
Their need and desire for each other rose to a fever-pitch. Sweating and panting, they pressed their naked forms against each other. All that they saw was each other, and all that they felt was how much they wanted each other. Nothing else in the world mattered. Everything else in the world seemed so insignificant.

The brown-haired boy turned into a pink-haired one. Damp hair clung onto the boy's forehead as he lay on the bed, panting. He remembered that that was how the boy looked like after sex. Sweating, panting, his voice hoarse from screaming - everything, everything was sexy and cute about him.

And he remembered how the boy would smile softly, his eyes brimming with love, those sweet words slipping through his bruised lips.

"_Yuki, I love you."_

Yuki snapped back to reality when the phone rang abruptly. He noticed that Atsushi was already working on his pants.

_Damn it. I've got to stop thinking of the past. I bet the reason why I'm remembering so much lately is due to the brat being back in town. Once he leaves, everything will return to normal._

He sighed mentally again and decided to allow Atsushi the fun that he had been begging for. He pulled Atsushi up and began to kiss him. He could vaguely hear the answering machine taking the call. It reminded him of the time where the answering machine would go: "Hello! This is Yuki's and Shuichi's love nest! Do you mind leaving a message because I'm busy sending lots of love, hearts and kisses to Yuki right now? And of course, Yuki's busy receiving them… and returning them. (giggle) Yuki! You're supposed to catch the kiss I blew to you! Yuki!" Beep.

He frowned and kissed Atsushi more urgently.

"… please leave a message after the beep tone."

Beep.

"… Yuki…"

Yuki's eyes widened as the sound of that voice. He jumped and broke away from the kiss and turned to gape at the phone.

"I know you're home. It's ok, you don't have to pick up the phone."

Yuki remained watching the phone intently, as if the phone was lying to him.

"Yuki… I… I want to see you. Can we meet in front of the South exit of Tokyo Station at 1:30?"

Yuki glanced at the clock. It was 12.

"I… I'll keep on waiting there until you turn up… doesn't matter how late you are… I really want to see you. Bye, for now."

Beep.

For the next few minutes, all Yuki could do was to sit and stare. He wasn't sure if his mind was playing a trick on him. He wasn't sure of anything at all, since his mind was quitescrewed up recently.

"Eiri-san, are you alright? You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Yuki glanced at Atsushi. _If he heard it too, it means that… that was really Shuichi on the line!_

"We could continue from where we left off…"

Without a word, Yuki pushed Atsushi away again and leapt off the couch, heading for the bathroom.

There was no way he was not going.

For he wanted to see Shuichi badly too.

**xXx xXx TBC xXx xXx

* * *

**

**Ok… I'm not sure how Akiha ended up ranting on and on. It's a little OOC there. I thought of re-doing it, but then again, it shows how much Shuichi meant to him. (Does it?) I don't know… argh! Please tell me if it's good or bad. I can edit it.**

**Haruko. If you're puzzled over Haruko's behavior, wait for the next chapter.**

**I'll do a major YukixShuichi and a little ShuichixHaruko next chapter. Things will be more or less settled. I'm definitely ending this fic after 3 more chapters. Argh... I've gotta stop rambling on and on, or things will get too draggy! (sob)**

**Lastly,a big THANK YOU to all my reviewers!****(huggles) **

**Until next time!**


	21. All that is Left Unspoken

**Sorry for the late update. I was really busy translating stuff, reading my yaoi novels, and besides, school has just started again. Sigh.**

**The first part of this chapter is quite crappy. I considered cutting it out, but… oh well. Hope the later parts made up for it.**

**About the word "hentai"... Well, it can mean both "porn" or "pervert"(used often in anime and manga).This is a reply to We-Could-Be-Gone's comment. Just to clear up the misunderstanding :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 21 – All That Is Left Unspoken**

The streets were bustling with activity as Yuki pulled his car into a stop near Tokyo Station. Once he stepped out of his car, he frowned and put on his sunglasses. Why had Shuichi wanted to meet here? They could be recognized easily. The last thing he needed now was having a horde of fangirls screaming and running after him. Fortunately, he had tried to dress as casually and inconspicuously as he could.

He leaned against his car, trying to spot Shuichi from where he was. He didn't want to jostle with the crowd coming in and out of the station. But there was no sign of the model. He frowned again, now at a loss of what to do.

Suddenly, he felt a tug at the sleeve of his jacket. He turned and unwittingly held his breath as he watched Shuichi gave him a little smile, looking gorgeous in that lavender shirt, jeans, white jacket, and a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses.

"Hi…" Shuichi mumbled, almost shyly.

Yuki nodded in response and turned back to his car. "Let's go somewhere quieter." Startled when Shuichi grabbed hold of his arm suddenly, he shot the boy a questioning look.

"I've already planned the itinerary for today. All you have to do is to follow me. Can you do that? Just… just for the last time?" Shuichi peered at him through the pair of tinted sunglasses. Something tells him that if he doesn't agree to those "terms", Shuichi would leave immediately.

"Fine." Yuki replied gruffly. "Just remember to keep a low profile. I don't want any trouble."

Shuichi brightened visibly. "Yes! Don't worry about keeping a low profile. I don't want any fans or the media breathing down our necks too." He grinned and jumped into the passenger seat.

Yuki was quite taken aback with Shuichi's actions and behavior. The last time he remembered, they had been at Tohma's house, where he had been snapping angrily at Shuichi, which resulted in him having a glass of water splashed into his face. Only a day had passed, and Shuichi was acting as if none of that happened.

He stood there in stunned silence for a few moments, before Shuichi called for him to hurry. Shrugging, he climbed into his seat and started his car… and almost crashed into another when Shuichi made his announcement for the day.

"Let's visit Yokohama today!"

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Some time later, Yuki sat still in his driver seat, staring around at the surroundings blankly.

"Yuki! Are you coming!" Shuichi was practically screaming from where he stood. "Yu-"

"Stop yelling, you idiot!" Yuki hissed as he rushed over to Shuichi. "In the first place, why are we here!"

_Or rather, why did I agree to do this?_

Yuki's heart plummeted a little when he caught Shuichi staring off away from him, with a distant look on his face.

_Shit. What have I done this time?_

Amazingly, Shuichi switched back to his hyper mode within seconds.

"Because I'm hungry! I haven't had lunch yet…" He beamed childishly and pulled Yuki down the streets of Chinatown, in search of a good restaurant.

After an hour of gobbling down tons of dim sum, Shuichi dragged Yuki into a Chinese boutique and forcefully fitted the author with oriental clothes, while trying hard not to giggle at the same time. But he failed terribly as he watched the glowering Yuki squirmed uncomfortably in the foreign costume while the clicking of the camera could be heard.

"I'm never going to do that again…" Yuki grumbled as they exited from the shop. "Give me that."

Shuichi swung his hand out of Yuki's way just in time. "I'm keeping this photo!"

"No way. I'm burning that up."

Shuichi shot Yuki an exasperated look. "I'm keeping it. I don't think it was that bad. Besides, you look good in anything…" He trailed off and averted his eyes from the author.

Yuki raised his eyebrow at the unexpected compliment. "Hmph."

A few moments of silence passed before Yuki spoke up again. "So, where do you want to go now?"

Shuichi lit up in excitement, and a slight cold dread seeped into Yuki.

"Cosmo World!"

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Shuichi inched a little closer to Yuki, trying to act nonchalant.

"What? Are you afraid?" Yuki snorted.

Shuichi stiffened, like a thief who had been caught in the act, before sputtering: "Of… Of course not!" But the skeptical glance he shot one last glance at the entrance signboard before entering.

'House of Horror - Dr.Edgar's Cursed Collection'

A few minutes later, loud shrieks could be heard, along with a few curses.

"You're an idiot, do you know that? A cowardly, brainless idiot. There're no such things as monsters, ghosts or whatever in this world." Yuki picked out a cigarette and lighted it.

They were sitting down on one of the benches, as Shuichi had problem walking (his knees would still buckle in fear), and he didn't look like he was planning to let go of Yuki's coat anytime soon. It wasn't that Yuki minded that much. He was unconsciously enjoying the close proximity of their bodies, and besides, he wasn't looking forward to joining Shuichi's rampage around the theme park.

Yuki lifted the cigarette to his lips, glancing around, hoping they weren't drawing too much attention. They were lucky that it was a weekday, so the crowd wasn't that bad. Suddenly, his cigarette was being snatched away from him. Startled, he turned and stared in disbelief at the trembling boy beside him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Shuichi ignored him and concentrated on inhaling the smoke. Before, he had been as white as a sheet, but now, color seemed to have crept back onto his face. He was regaining his composure gradually.

Yuki frowned and reached out, swiping the cigarette back.

"Hey!" Shuichi started protesting. "Give it back to me!"

"For your information, it's mine."

"What? Can't you just spare me one? You still have a boxful of it, don't you!"

Shuichi started clambering all over Yuki, trying to get the cigarette back, but Yuki expertly kept it out of his reach.

"When did you learn to smoke?"

Yuki narrowed his eyes when he was ignored. He caught Shuichi's chin and forced the boy to look at him, repeating his question. "When did you learn to smoke?"

Shuichi growled in frustration. "It's none of your business." He struggled to get away, but couldn't.

"Answer me."

They glared at each other, noticing then that they were so close that they could almost taste each other on their lips.

"Fine, fine! I obviously hadn't been smoking back then, so it means that I only started months ago. Can't you figure that out yourself!" He struggled again and managed to break free from Yuki's grasp, settling himself back onto the spot beside Yuki, his heart thumping wildly.

"Why?"

_Why? He's asking me why!_ Shuichi bit onto his lips, reeling in his frustration and anger. _Of course it's because of you! You and your kisses! Damn it!_

"For a job. And, because of work-related stress."

Yuki eyed the boy carefully, trying to decide if that was the truth. _Is that it? But I never expected to see him smoking. Not in a lifetime…_

"You shouldn't smoke too much."

Shuichi snorted. "Look who's talking."

Yuki threw the cigarette down onto the floor and snuffed it out.

"Bastard."

"Well, do you want to carry on looking around? Or should we just sit here smoking for the rest of the day?"

Shuichi shot Yuki a glance before smiling slightly and getting up. "Ok. Let's go."

So they went around the theme park, with Shuichi skipping around in excitement, while Yuki tried to keep up with him. Everything was so fun – except the rollercoaster ride which Shuichi had threw up Chinese food after the ride. This almost felt like… a date. Yuki was being extremely compromising, and Shuichi was his bubbly old rambling self. It felt just like that date they had after Shuichi successfully sold a million copies of his album as stated in the deal.

It was as though the invisible awkward barrier between them had vanished. It was as though none of what had taken place in the past year had happened at all. They were still together. They were still lovers.

At least, for the past few hours.

As they sat in one of the carriages of the world's largest Ferris wheel, Cosmo Clock 21, Yuki regarded Shuichi (who was gazing out into the horizon) carefully, tracing his lithe form slowly with his eyes, pausing at those exquisite eyes and those soft lips.

"Look. You can see the city from here." Shuichi whispered, as if not wanting to spoil the comfortable atmosphere in the carriage. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah…" Yuki replied, keeping his eyes on Shuichi.

"It's a pity that beautiful things don't last…" Shuichi continued, sounding sadder than he realized.

Yuki's eyes flickered to the outside of the carriage, in the direction where Shuichi was looking. The last rays of the setting sun cast an orange glow over the city. "That's the way things work in this world…" _God. I sound so lame._

"Hmm… But I wish time could just stop now though…" He pressed his palm against the window, as if to catch hold of the sun. "Then, this ride would never end…"

Yuki had no reply to that. He couldn't, to be more exact. For both of them knew, deep in their hearts, that this wasn't going to last. Just like that previous date which had ended on a sad note with Yuki disappearing, this was most probably going to turn out in the same way too.

Time was slipping away with each second, dragging a tiny piece of their moment together with it.

Shuichi shifted his attention back to Yuki. "You look like you're glowing."

"…"

"The sunlight makes your blonde hair glow, although it's sunset we're talking about." Shuichi frowned thoughtfully. "I like your hair. You should leave it just like this. It looks nice. You'll leave this like this, won't you?"

"Like this?" Yuki blinked. This was the second time Shuichi had commented on his appearance today. "…Yeah, I will."

Shuichi rewarded him with a smile.

"You should keep that too."

"Huh?"

"Your smile…" Yuki looked out of the carriage. "It reaches your eyes."

"Oh." Shuichi felt his heart skipped a beat. "Ok, I will…"

It was a simple exchange of little promises, an attempt to make up for those important ones that they could never make. As their carriage neared the highest point, night was falling, and the park had started to light up in many bright colors magically.

"It's so beautiful!" Shuichi stood up unsteadily, his eyes glimmering with delight as he peered out. "Yuki! Look!"

"Shuichi…"

"Yes?" Shuichi turned to Yuki, tripping a little as their carriage paused at the highest point, only to be met with warm lips on his own. He froze, not knowing what to do. But the tenderness of the kiss drew him in, and he began to respond with the same gentleness. It wasn't lust. But it shouldn't be love. Did the kiss arise solely out of kindness then?

But they needed it. They knew that.

Just for that moment, in that tiny carriage, they shared what could possibly be their last kiss.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

They were back in the familiar grounds of Tokyo. It was already 8:30pm when they sat down at the table Shuichi had reserved earlier at Shades of Blue. It was an outdoor restaurant where the tables were arranged further apart for couples to have their privacy. The place was quite dim, with tea light candles in bowl-shaped glasses atop each table. There was a small, low stage on one side, where a lady was currently belting out romantic oldies.

Yuki felt a little awkward even though their table was situated at a quiet corner. However, he had to applaud Shuichi's choice of venue, as even he loved the ambience.

Dinner passed without much talking between the two of them. But as usual, Shuichi didn't last long. Only that this time, he wasn't babbling nonsense anymore.

"I've always wanted to have dinner at such a place with you…"

Yuki glanced at Shuichi, trying to figure the boy out. _Why is he talking about this now? Is he… trying to say something?_

"But every time I try planning something like that, it'll never work out."

"…You-" Yuki's cell phone interrupted him. "Hello?... I'm busy… No… I said not tonight. Stop bothering me."

Shuichi regarded Yuki intently as he hung up. "Looks like you're always busy… that hasn't changed much, has it?"

"…"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Would you stop it? I don't want to talk about this."

"Oh? Yeah, that's it. You never ever listened to me, and you never ever wanted to talk to me."

"Are you blaming me?" Yuki was getting pissed off as well. "You knew what I was like before-"

"Yes, yes! I was the stupid one! I'm the one who was responsible for all these mess!"

They glared at each other for a while.

"Shuichi. Are you trying to say something?"

"I… I know I shouldn't bring this up, but…" Shuichi turned and stared at the singer on stage. "… I really need answers, Yuki. I don't want to carry on like this. There are too many questions in my head, and questions don't give me a sense of finality. I want to end this and I need answers to do that." He took out the box of cigarettes he had bought once they had returned to Tokyo, and pulled out a stick.

Yuki didn't know how to react to those words being said. He understood what Shuichi meant, for he had tons of questions in his heart which he wanted answers to as well. But somehow, he wasn't keen on answering Shuichi's questions. The reason for that was left unknown even to him.

They continued watching the singer without saying anything.

"Did you love me?" The sudden question startled Yuki. "No… I didn't phrase that correctly. If you did love me, we wouldn't be where we are right now. Let me put it this way then… Did you even like me? A single, tiny bit?"

Yuki's heart was racing in a panic, but his mind was completely blank. Did Shuichi really expect him to answer that? He couldn't. He didn't know how.

Shuichi sighed softly. "Fine. What about this then… Was I just a toy?"

Yuki reached out for his glass of wine. He took a sip slowly before finally whispering. "No."

"Why did you let me leave back then?" It wasn't meant to, but that sounded slightly accusatory.

"…Because you wanted to." Yuki replied flatly, and almost immediately.

Shuichi frowned. _So that's it? Because I wanted to? Stop kidding! All the times I wanted him to do something, he ignored me. But at that time, he…? _

He took a long drag on his cigarette, trying to calm his mind. He had told Akiha that he was going to talk it out with Yuki, but this was not going in the direction he had planned. It was way out of his expectations.

It would have been better if Yuki had replied something along the lines of "because I didn't love you", "I didn't need you", "I couldn't stand you". But to be told "because you wanted to"? A small bitter smile flitted across his face.

He wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry. A year of living under the same roof, a year of sharing the same bed, a year of surviving the living hell of confessions, the media, an Aizawa Taki, and a Kitazawa Yuki… but this was all he got?

It only served to prove that they were never really together, that they were never connected as one before.

"_Because I wanted to"?_

_Couldn't you see that no matter what, I didn't really want to leave? That no matter what, I was wishing that you would say something to sooth my breaking heart, my failing confidence, and my tears? What I really wanted was for you to hold me together, to keep me from breaking down._

_And all along, I thought that you hadn't wanted to do that. It was only just did I realize that you hadn't notice it at all._

_This is… hopeless… isn't it? It has always been hopeless._

Shuichi crushed his cigarette against the ashtray, and was reaching for another one when Yuki stopped him.

"What?" Shuichi snapped.

"You shouldn't smoke too much. It's bad for your throat."

"God. Why do you guys point out the same thing? I guess your memory's failing you… since you don't seem to remember that I have not much use for my throat anymore. Besides spouting nonsense, like you said I always do."

"Shuichi…" Yuki paused, searching Shuichi's eyes. He then glanced towards the stage. "Go up there and sing a song."

"Huh?" Shuichi was taken aback.

"I said… go up that stage and sing a song. I want to hear you sing."

"Are you crazy? There's no way I'm doing that. Firstly, I'm not a singer anymore. And secondly, didn't you not want anyone to recognize us?"

"Look, anyone is free to go up there to sing. Some customers here have done it earlier. And they're not singers, are they? Besides, I don't think there's anyone from the media here."

"Why do I have to do it just because you told me to?"

"You did it once before."

Shuichi growled at what seemed an arrogant and egoistic reply. He glared at Yuki, daring him to smirk. Finally, after staring long and hard, he gave in. There was no way he could win against those piercing golden eyes. There was no way that he could ever refuse Yuki Eiri. Even if his mind wanted to, his heart wouldn't allow that to happen.

He signal to the waiter and requested to sing a song next. He gulped down a glass of water to try to wash away the bitter taste of cigarettes in his mouth and to sooth his throat. What he didn't expect was the soaring feeling he got as he walked up on the tiny stage. He wasn't afraid this time. The place was quite dim. The audience was small and probably wouldn't recognize him. The night breeze was cooling. And what's more, Yuki was there. Yuki had said that he wanted to listen. It was the first time he had ever said that.

**Reality  
****by Richard Sanderson**

_**Met you by surprise,  
**__**I didn't realize  
**__**that my life would change forever  
**__**Saw you standing there,  
**__**I didn't know I cared  
**_**_there was something special in the air_**

Shuichi closed his eyes. Yuki noted Shuichi's ability to speak… sing English with surprise. He leaned back into his seat, as Shuichi's beautiful voice shot through his body, sending tingles everywhere.

_**Dreams are my reality,  
**__**the only kind of real fantasy  
**__**Illusions are a common thing  
**__**I try to live in dreams  
**__**It seems as if it's meant to be **_

_**Dreams are my reality,  
**__**a different kind of reality  
**__**I dream of loving in the night  
**__**And loving seems alright  
**__**Although it's only fantasy **_

It was a lovely song. He had heard it once before. But the lyrics… had Shuichi chosen this song on purpose?

Their eyes met, and they held each other's gaze. Shuichi smiled.

_He enjoys singing. He can't lie about that. So… why?_

_**If you do exist,  
**__**honey don't resist  
**__**show me a new way of loving  
**__**Tell me that it's true,  
**__**show me what to do  
**__**I feel something special about you **_

_**Dreams are my reality,  
**__**the only kind of reality  
**__**may be my foolishness has past  
**__**And may be now at last  
**__**I'll see how a real thing can be **_

_**Dreams are my reality,  
**__**a wonderous world where I like to be  
**__**I dream of holding you all night  
**__**and holding you seems right  
**__**perhaps that's my reality **_

**…**

They had left the restaurant after much more singing, drinking, and just sitting there, enjoying each other's presence. Shuichi glanced at his watch as he sat on the passenger seat. It was 11:30pm. It's no wonder he was tired after being out for almost one whole day. He leaned against the window, staring out in a daze, watching the tiny drops of water trickled down the glass. It had begun drizzling 10 minutes ago.

"Shuichi? If you're tired, you can rest your eyes. I'll wake you up once we're there…"

"Hmm? No, I'm fine…"

His eyelids were getting heavy, but he didn't want to sleep just yet. He wanted to stay with Yuki for a while long… for as long as he could. He was even hoping that the rain would slow his ride back to the hotel down. He didn't want to leave.

_Not yet._

_Not ever…_

His heart was weighing down on him.

_**Met you by surprise,  
**__**I didn't realize  
**__**that my life would change forever  
**__**Tell me that it's true,  
**__**feelings that are cue  
**__**I feel something special about you **_

After some time, Yuki pulled the car to a stop opposite the hotel. Shuichi remained still in his seat.

"We're here."

"…"

"Shuichi?"

"Just for a little longer." He knew he was being silly. He was silly. He felt like Cinderella, given a chance to enjoy her happiest moments with the one she loved, only to lose everything at midnight. The only difference was: she got her prince in the end, but that would never happen for him.

He could feel Yuki's gaze boring holes into his back as he continued staring out of the window. At long last, he turned and their eyes met each other, but they were interrupted by Yuki's cell phone again.

Yuki chose to ignore it, but Shuichi knew better. There was no one who would call so late at night, except… one of Yuki's lover.

"I better get going. You have someone waiting at home for you…"

"I…"

"Thank you so much for today. I really enjoyed myself. Yuki, I…" Shuichi caught himself in time. "Take care."

He sprang out of the car, not giving Yuki a chance to answer. He didn't stop once as he ran into his hotel, because he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to leave Yuki. And no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't do that now.

All that had happened felt like a dream. Yes, in fact, he had a feeling that he would be dreaming of this day for nights to come, probably for the rest of his life. He didn't mind doing that though… all he wanted now was to live in his dreams. Perhaps, that was the only way to be with Yuki.

_**Dreams are my reality,  
**__**a wonderous world where I like to be  
**__**Illusions are a common thing  
**__**I try to live in dreams  
**__**although it's only fantasy **_

_**Dreams are my reality,  
**__**I like to dream of you close to me  
**__**I dream of loving in the night  
**__**and loving you seems right  
**__**Perhaps that's my reality  
**_

**xXx xXx TBC xXx xXx

* * *

**

Gahh! I said that I wanted to do a ShuichixHaruko part, but I couldn't fit it in. I'll bring that over to the next chapter. Hmm… the more chapters I write, the more I think that this story is extremely cliché. It began from the 'knight in shining armor' scene where Yuki rescued Shuichi. Damn, it's really cliché. Unoriginal. Hmph. I bet my ending would be unoriginal too. But… I really don't know how else to end. Sigh…

Oh yeah, about Cosmo World, I haven't been there. I searched for information on it on the Internet, but the site was in Japanese. So, if I made any factual mistakes on it, please pardon me. But I do know that the Ferris wheel there is the largest one in the world. It takes around 15 minutes for the 360 degrees ride. It was featured in episode 11 of Loveless though. Hee…

**And I'm so very sorry that I didn't reply all the reviews you guys wrote for me. I'm having a bad case of flu now… I can't really read properly. But still, I wanna thank you guys for reading this long story. (sends everyone hugs and kisses)**

**(sneeze)**

**Oh btw, if you haven't read Gravitation Megamix by Maki Murakami (NOT the Remix), you should... provided you have a strong stomach. ****Well then, see ya next time!**


	22. Kiss Me Goodbye

**Sorry for the late update. I was really busy with school work. Sigh.**

**And well, I was losing faith in this story. The clichés and all. So I sat down and started brainstorming if there was any other way I could end the story… but alas, I wasn't able to come up with anything good. Dammit. I'm kinda disappointed, but well, I think it's better if I end it in a cliché manner, rather than leave it hanging. **

**I'm so sorry, everyone! (Sob) **

**There's either 1 or 2 chapters left to tie up everything. So please bear with me…**

**Well then, here's the chapter. It may be sort of boring, but it's necessary as a bridge (?) to the ending.**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 22 - Kiss Me Goodbye**

Shuichi flung himself down onto the bed as soon as he reached the safe haven of his room. In the dim orange light, everything was still. Yet, his heart was thumping uncontrollably, and his mind was whirling with confusion. He buried himself deeper into the covers, trying to compose himself, willing all those disturbing thoughts and feelings away. But everytime he shut his eyes, he saw Yuki bath in the glow of the setting sun.

He groaned and squeezed his eyes when he heard a knock at the door. He was sure that it could only be Akiha checking up on him, and he didn't want to have to deal with Akiha now. That guy knows him too well and it bugged him. All he wanted to do now was to lie down there and not think of anything, watching time pass and hoping that the world would be a better place.

The doorbell rang, followed by another two knocks on the door.

Shuichi pulled the pillows over his head.

But the knocks persisted.

Sighing, Shuichi sprung up and strode to the door, throwing it open, all ready to yell at Akiha. But to his surprise, that man wasn't there.

"Haruko?" Shuichi blinked. "What are you doing here so late in the night? Is there something wrong?"

Haruko gave Shuichi a tired smile. "Shuichi, can I come in for a moment?"

"Uh… sure."

Haruko glanced at the half-packed luggage at the corner of the room. "You haven't finish packing?"

"Not really. But I'll just dump the rest of my stuff in and I'll be done. So you don't have to-" Shuichi faltered as he felt arms wrapped around his waist from behind. "-worry. Haruko? Is something wrong?"

"…" Haruko rested her head on Shuichi's back. "Shu-chan, are you really going back with us? Promise?"

Shuichi felt his heart skipped a beat. He held his breath unwittingly. _Why is she asking me this? Did she… but it doesn't matter anyway. In fact, it's better this way. _He untangled himself from Haruko, stepping away quietly. "I am going back to America. But…"

"…But you're leaving me."

He wasn't able to respond immediately to that. Instead, he walked away, towards the windows. It was still drizzling outside, making the night seemed colder than ever.

"Shu-chan?"

Shuichi closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the cool glass. "I'm sorry."

"…So it's true then?"

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you…" Shuichi's voice dropped to a whisper.

"Your relationship with Yuki-san was for real?" A moment of silence passed before Haruko spoke again, with a trembling voice. "I can't believe it. I… I feel so stupid… Why?"

"I really didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean for all these to happen. It's just that…" Shuichi turned and took in Haruko's broken form, an immense guilt weighing down on his heart. "I don't want to continue lying."

"But what if I wish for you to carry on lying? Will you? Can you do it for me?"

Shuichi gazed at Haruko sadly. "I can't do it, Haruko. It's not a matter of whether I want to do it… I just can't. Maybe if I hadn't come back, if I hadn't met him again, I could go on living in the lie I created. But seeing him again has stripped me of that ability. There's absolutely no way I can carry on deceiving myself anymore."

Tears trickled down Haruko's cheeks silently. "But I really love you, Shu-chan. I don't know how to let go. I don't want to let go…"

"_Everyone says that they do not wish to hurt the other party whenever they ask for a separation. But in the end, they still end up hurting one after another… and of course, the ones most hurt by everything would still be themselves."_

Shuichi smiled bitterly. Hiro's words always made sense. "I can't tell you how to let go, because I obviously don't know how to do it as well. But you're a strong girl… you're much stronger than me. You can do it. Besides, I'm not worth it. You should find someone better."

"Shuichi…" Haruko walked towards the boy, reaching out to touch his cheek, and began asking fearfully. "Did you love me?"

Shuichi squeezed his eyes shut.

"_Did you love me?"_

It reminded him so much of his pitiful self. It was the one question where the answer never failed to break his heart.

"I'm a heartless, lying bastard. I took advantage of you. I used you to try forgetting him. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if I've ever truly loved you a single bit. Would that help you to forget me? You can hate me as much as you want to." Shuichi took a deep breath to try holding his tears back. "No matter what I do, no matter where I am, there's only him in my heart. I've done everything I can think of to try to free myself, but in the end, I realized that I may not wish to be free at all. I don't know… I don't know anymore. I'm so tired… I give up… I'm sorry…"

Haruko took a step back and watched Shuichi with pain-filled eyes. She opened her mouth, wishing to say something comforting in return, but realized that she couldn't do it. More tears slipped down her cheeks and she bit onto her lip, turning to leave. She knew that there wasn't anything that she could say or do to make this alright. All that she could do was to wait and pray for time to heal everything, so that she could at least stay by Shuichi's side as a friend.

But before that, this was going to be a long and torturous night.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

"Shuichi! Are you ready?" Akiha yelled as he stepped into Shuichi's room. Sunlight filtered in through the windows. He stopped and stared at Shuichi's enormous luggage, which was practically bulging at the sides. "What the hell did you put in there!"

Shuichi grimaced. "It's not me. My mom and my sister stuffed me with so many local products and forced me to bring them all back to America. I'll feel bad if I don't bring them all back."

"You're already starting to miss them eh?" Akiha smiled.

"Of course… I'll miss everyone."

"You sure you wanna do that?"

Shuichi hesitated for a moment. He took in a deep breath, held it there for seconds, before releasing it slowly. "Yeah. It's time for a fresh start. I'm gonna do it."

"Well then, let's make a move. Tsuyoshi and the rest will settle stuff at the airport." Akiha wrapped his arm around Shuichi's waist and guided him out of the room, heading for the TV station once last time. Hours later, they arrived at the studio after having a quick lunch, a trip to Sense Gallery, and some time to shop around.

"Shuichiiiiiiiiii!" The moment Shuichi stepped into the studio, he was assaulted by Ryuichi's infamous glomp, with Kumagorou squashed in between them.

"Sakuma-san…" Shuichi grinned and hugged back. He missed this warm feeling and this feeling of disbelief everytime he got from hugging his god. His god… Yes, Sakuma Ryuichi would always be his god even if he had quit singing.

"That's enough! You'll suffocate him to death." Noriko clucked her tongue and pulled Ryuichi off, while Hiro helped Shuichi up.

"Nooooo! Shuichi can't die! He finally agreed to sing again! He can't die without singing…" Ryuichi sniffled, appearing to be on the verge of tears.

"So Shuichi? What made you want to sing before you leave?" K frowned as he continued wiping his magnum with a handkerchief. "I still can't believe you agreed to be a surprise guest singer for us."

Shuichi stuck out his tongue. "Nothing much. I just thought that it would make you guys happy, especially Sakuma-san!"

"Waahhh! Shuichiiii!" Ryuichi made very sure not to hug Shuichi again for fear of suffocating him to death. Instead, he chose to peck Shuichi lightly on the cheek. "I like Shuichi na no da!"

Shuichi blushed. "Sa-sa-sakuma-san…"

"By the way, you look quite horrible, Shuichi. Did you not sleep well last night?" Hiro frowned worriedly.

"Not a wink."

"Huh?" The entire group echoed.

"Nah, it's nothing. I just couldn't sleep well, thinking of how I'm leaving tonight." Shuichi lied. _Haruko… I hope she's alright…_ "My flight has been rescheduled to take off at 9 instead of 11."

"What! But I think I heard that Seguchi-san wanted to invite all of us to dinner. It's meant to be a farewell dinner for you." Hiro sighed. "But it seems like you're leaving straight after this show now."

"Don't make it sound like we'll never meet again!" Shuichi scrunched up his nose. "Anyway, I'll go say goodbye to Seguchi-san before I leave. He'll be at the same old bar, right?" He shot Sakano a questioning look.

"Ah, right. Shachou will be there with Mika-san... and Yuki-san, I think." Sakano gulped nervously when he realized he had just mentioned _that_ name.

"Alright everybody! Please get ready! We'll begin shooting in 5 minutes time!"

It was a gift to be able to hear Bad Grasper perform one more time before he left. They were absolutely great, concentrating on each and every note of the music, radiating off so much energy. Shuichi just thought that it was a pity since it wasn't a live performance. The show would only be broadcasted at 7pm later in the evening.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, can you guess who the mysterious guest singer for tonight's show is?"

Shuichi recognized it as his cue to get ready. The stage lights were dimmed and he stepped up onto the stage, casting a glance towards the spot where Akiha stood. The latter gave a thumbs-up.

"We're honored to have him on stage to sing us one last song before he leaves. Yes, I'm sure you know who he is by now. This special performance is dedicated to all Bad Luck fans out there! Here is Shindou Shuichi, with the song "Sometimes Love Ain't Enough"!"

A soft orange light set the stage aglow as the music began. An image of him standing on stage performing as part of Bad Luck flashed into his mind. He could just picture all the screaming fans.

"This song is for the one whom I love, and the one who love me…"

And the lyrics came flowing out.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Yuki sighed for the hundredth time that day and gritted his teeth in frustration.

"So, Eiri, you haven't answered me! Where were you yesterday? You didn't answer any of my calls!" Mika nagging voice droned on and on. "I was so worried!"

"I don't need to report everything to you," Yuki snapped and growled. He hated being fussed over like he was some defenseless kid. Tohma and Mika should get a life and stop probing into his. Besides, there was no way he could tell them that he spent the entire day with Shuichi yesterday. "If you really need to fuss over someone, then take it out on the underage guy who's drinking."

Mika shot Tatsuha a murderous look. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It not as if you don't know that I drink…" Tatsuha whined. "Stupid aniki. Anyway, Shuichi's leaving tonight. I hope you know that."

Yuki's cold demeanor did not falter even though his heart plummeted a little. "So?"

"Well I thought you'll be interested to rush to the airport, scream out your love for him, and get him to promise you that he'll marry you stay by your side forever."

Yuki glared daggers at Tatsuha.

"Eiri-san, you-" The bells tinkled, signaling the arrival of customers. Tohma frowned. The bar was supposed to be closed to public while they were there. Who had the audacity to intrude on a rare family gathering? He turned to look, and his eyes widen in surprise.

"Shindou-san…!"

Mika, Tatsuha, and Yuki all snapped their heads up in alarm.

_What? _Yuki turned in the direction of the entrance as well. He caught his breath in amazement at the sight of the model who was panting slightly. "Shuichi?"

Shuichi smiled back nervously.

"Shindou-san, why are you here?" Tohma asked, startled. He noted that Akiha was standing outside, by the door.

"I… I just wanted to bid you goodbye. My flight's been rescheduled to 9pm. I'll be leaving for the airport from here afterwards."

_8? That's early… _Yuki looked away and chose to focus on his glass of liquor instead. It was only then did the reality of it sink in. _He's really leaving…_

"That's a pity, since I thought of holding a farewell dinner for you. Do Nakano-san and the others know?"

"Yeah, I just met up with them." Shuichi paused for a moment. "Yuki, can I talk to you for a minute?"

It took Yuki a few seconds to react. "…What?"

Shuichi just stood there, near the door, refusing to budge. "I need to talk to you."

_Talk? Again? What is it this time? _Yuki sighed and stood up He moved towards Shuichi, who was searching for something in his pockets.

"Here…" Shuichi held out a white envelope, complete with his house address and a stamp at the corner. "It's time I return this to you."

"What the hell is this?"

"And I've got something else for you too," Shuichi smiled, and pulled out a scarf from the paper bag he had been holding on to. "I bought this back in America thinking that it suits you, before I realized what I was doing. Stupid eh?"

"Huh?" Yuki blinked in confusion as Shuichi wrapped the scarf around his neck.

"By the way, there're some things which I forgot to tell you yesterday," Shuichi gazed deep into Yuki's eyes. "One, I hate him. And two, you're such a cold, heartless bastard." He tugged on the scarf, forcing Yuki to bend down.

His lips ghost over Yuki's, whispering: "But I love you…"

He was sure that Yuki didn't hear that though, as the words were swiftly drowned in the kiss that followed next. He dug deep into the kiss, trying to burn the image of Yuki into his mind, and to memorize the author's taste and scent.

Finally, he pulled back reluctantly. "Goodbye…"

Trying to keep himself from shaking, he quickly bowed to Tohma, Mika, and Tatsuha who were still paralyzed at witnessing the kiss, and turned to leave.

The tinkling of the bells brought Yuki back to his sense.

"What…" Yuki glanced down at the envelope in his hands. It was light, yet somehow it felt heavier and heavier the longer he held on to it. He opened it swiftly, and a piece of silver metal came falling out.

"Eiri! What was that all about?"

It was a key. The key to his house.

He peered into the envelope and pulled out a note. It read: "7.15pm, TV channel 3."

He glanced at the digital clock at the corner of the bar. 7.20pm.

_Shit!_

"Turn that to Channel 3!"

"Huh?"

"I said turn the TV on to Channel 3!" Yuki barked to the bartender. "Hurry up!"

"Eiri-san, is something wrong?" Tohma asked worriedly, and strode to Yuki's side. The bartender jumped in fright and did as he was told.

"…by Bad Grasper! Let's thank them with another round of applause!"

Tohma frowned at the program that was currently being shown on TV. "That's the TV program that Bad Grasper is assigned to do. What about it?"

Yuki frowned as well. _What did the brat mean by asking me to watch this program?_

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, can you guess who the mysterious guest singer for tonight's show is?" The host paused to allow some tension to build up. "We're honored to have him on stage to sing us one last song before he leaves. Yes, I'm sure you know who he is by now. This special performance is dedicated to all Bad Luck fans out there! Here is Shindou Shuichi, with the song "Sometimes Love Ain't Enough"!"

"What?" Tatsuha yelped. "Shuichi's performing on the same show as Sakuma-san?"

Yuki's heartbeat raced as he watched Shuichi strolled to the center of the stage. _He's singing an English song again? By directing me to watch this… is the song for me then?_

Bit by bit, Yuki grew more and more confused as he took in the lyrics of the song.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

**Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough  
****(Patti Smyth & Don Henley)**

**I don't wanna lose you  
****I don't wanna use you  
****Just to have somebody by my side  
**

**And I don't wanna hate you  
****I don't wanna take you  
****But I don't wanna be the one to cry**

**That don't really matter to anyone, anymore  
****But like a fool I keep losing my place  
****I keep seeing you walk through that door  
**

**But there's a danger in loving somebody too much  
****And it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust  
****There's a reason why people don't stay where they are  
****Baby sometimes love just ain't enough**

Shuichi sat in the cab, on his way to the airport, staring out of the window in silence. He vaguely registered Akiha squeezing his hand in an attempt to offer him some comfort. He wanted to protest, to tell Akiha that he didn't need any sympathy, but he was too tired to do so. In his mind, the song he had just sung on stage continued playing in his head.

**Now I could never change you  
****I don't wanna blame you  
****Baby you don't have to take the fall**

**Yes I may have hurt you  
****But I did not desert you  
****Maybe I just wanna have it all**

**It makes a sound like thunder  
****It makes me feel like rain  
****And like a fool who will never see the truth  
****I keep thinking something's gonna change**

**But there's a danger in loving somebody too much  
****And it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust  
****There's a reason why people don't stay where they are  
****Baby sometimes love just ain't enough**

**And there's no way home  
****When it's late at night and you're all alone  
****Are there things that you wanted to say?  
****Do you feel me beside you in your bed?  
****There beside you where I used to lay**

He remembered how his voice had come dangerously close to cracking as he sang those few lines, with memories of Yuki's sleeping face, the cutest side of Yuki, rushing into his mind.

_Do you still see me beside you? Or has someone replaced me, taking up my place beside you in bed? Was there someone else who kissed you good morning now?_

**And there's a danger in loving somebody too much  
****And it's sad when you know it's your heart they can't touch  
****There's a reason why people don't stay who they are  
****Cause baby sometimes love just ain't enough**

_It took me years to understand this fact, Yuki. That sometimes, love isn't enough. Loving you wasn't enough to get you to love me back. Loving you wasn't enough to keep you by my side. Just like how Haruko's love wasn't enough for me to get over you. Life's so screwed, isn't it?_

_But why can't love be enough? Why can't loving someone be a simple task?_

Shuichi closed his eyes as the song came to an end. He didn't need to look around to know how everyone's reacting to the song. Those who knew him would know who he had been singing to.

The one whom he loved… Yuki.

The one who loved him… Haruko.

But he didn't need sympathy. All he needed was to convey a message: He understood it now, and it was time to stop struggling futilely.

**Baby sometimes love just ain't enough**

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Yuki stood rooted to the ground as he attempted to put everything together in a logical sense.

_Sometimes love ain't enough…_

_Isn't he trying to say that he loves me? But feels that loving me isn't enough?_

_I don't understand! I don't get him at all!_

Yuki slipped the key into his pocket and crushed the note along with the envelope. He turned and strode to the door.

"Eiri-san? Where are you going?"

He didn't answer. Once he stepped out of the bar, he picked up his pace, running to his car.

_Damn brat! Stupid, stupid, stupid! He's confusing me. His words and actions do not match. How dare he fuck around with my mind! I'll get him for this. I swear._

_He's not leaving until he explained everything clearly._

Night was falling fast and Shuichi's departure time drew closer and closer by the minute. He slammed down on the accelerator and began his race to the airport.

_He's not leaving until I allow him to do so._

**xXx xXx tbc xXx xXx

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**I get a kick out of inserting songs into my fic. I'm insane. Lol… sorry. But the lyrics do say something. Love this song lots, btw. And the previous song, 'Reality'. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I would have given up on this story if you guys hadn't written all those wonderful reviews. And those who were screaming at me to update… I practically cringed and warned myself to update soon for fear of getting kicked. Hahaha! (laughs) Thank you so much! (huggles everyone altogether… is that possible?)**


	23. Pouring Rain of Emotions

**Sorry for the late update. I seem to be saying that every time I update. (Lol) Thank you for all your reviews, and don't worry, even though I'm slow at updating, I'm determined to complete this fic. Definitely.**

**Enough of my crap. Let's move on to the newest chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it! And, once again, THANK YOU for all your reviews!**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.

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**MOU ICHI DO**

**Chapter 23 – Pouring Rain of Emotions**

"_Haven't I told you that you have absolutely zero talent for songwriting?" I flicked my lighter open, lit up my cigarette, and then leaned against the kitchen counter._

"_Yeah, ninety-nine times, in fact."_

_I watched my little singer-lover, who was currently sprawled on the floor, lying on his stomach, scribbling lines of illegitimate words. "And you're still writing? It just proves that you are either deaf or stupid."_

"_No, I'm not. I'm just trying my best to convey my feelings to the world."_

"_What?"_

"_Lyrics can be meaningless, but they must contain a certain depth of emotions. This applies to the lyrics that I write, and the lyrics of any other songs. Isn't it the same for writing novels?"_

"_I don't write for that. I write to feed worthless crap to ridiculous women in order to get paid."_

_Shuichi sighed. I watched as Shuichi scrambled up onto his feet and started trotting towards me._

"_Well, I'll agree to stop writing if you agree to stop smoking."_

"_Over my dead body."_

"_Say it again then."_

_I mirrored Shuichi's frown. "Say what? 'Over my dead body'?"_

"_Not that! THAT!" Shuichi's face lit up in excitement. "About my lyrics…"_

"…" _I deepened my frown. "You have absolutely zero talent for songwriting."_

_Shuichi smiled and stood on tip-toes, brushing his lips across mine. "That makes it a hundred times. Let's celebrate the hundredth anniversary of that!"_

_I rolled my eyes. "Baka."_

"_You may think I'm acting silly, but…don't you know? I don't mind hearing you say that, because it means that you're by my side." Shuichi wrapped his arms tightly around me and snuggled close to me. "Let's celebrate the hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary the next time."_

"_That'll be tomorrow then. Since I have to constantly remind you of your lack of talent…"_

"_Yuki!"_

"_Right, right…" Tired of speaking, I bent down and began kissing Shuichi._

"_And the next… Mmm… time you… listen to me sing, ah… take note of the lyrics… Nn uhh… and the feelings behind them… because all the songs I sing…Ngh… are for you."_

_That had been the last thing that Shuichi said, in between all the kisses and touches._

(End of flashback)

"_Take note of the lyrics and the feelings behind them, because all the songs I sing are for you."_

_Is that song you just sang meant for me too?_

Yuki floored the gas pedal, swerving in and out of the traffic along the highway. He needed to get to the airport fast. He was not going to let Shuichi get away with this. Shuichi was the one who brought back all these memories with him, and now he's trying to leave without taking them away with him?

The night was turning cold. It had started raining minutes ago, and the roads were turning wet and slippery. He glanced at the scarf that Shuichi had given to him.

_Shuichi…_

All of a sudden, Yuki heard the loud blaring of horns. He looked up as the car in front of his screeched to a stop.

_What the hell?_

He stepped onto the brakes to slow his car down to a stop. But, to his horror, it did not work. He slammed down onto the brakes one more time, but nothing happened. He glanced up at the car ahead and instinctively swerved to avoid hitting it.

Within seconds, the screeching of tires was followed by a loud crash, and everything slipped into darkness.

It was then that Yuki recalled: They had parted after the hundredth-and-forty-eighth time.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Shuichi stood beside Jun while Akiha and Tsuyoshi settled the remaining procedures to be done (with Haruko tagging along). He fiddled with his cell phone, the conversation with his sister still echoing in his mind.

"_But, onii-chan…"_

"_Maiko, I've already decided that this is the only way out. I don't want to hear anything regarding this matter anymore."_

"_I'm not saying this to make things difficult for you, it's just that… don't you think that it's a pity? It's rare to be able to find someone you truly love in a lifetime. Won't you regret giving up just like that?"_

"But I can't do anything about it. I really can't. I've already tried so hard…" Shuichi mumbled unconsciously.

"Huh? Shuichi? Did you say something?" Jun frowned.

"Nope, nothing." He turned towards the entrance and watched the rain fall gently outside. A streak of blinding white light flashed across the sky, and Shuichi heard the low rumbling of thunder, which seemed to be accompanied by a loud crash.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"It sounded like something had crashed into another."

Jun gave him a quizzical look. "Are you not feeling well? You have been acting strange ever since just now. I didn't hear anything except the thunder."

Shuichi frowned. Had he imagined that? It felt distant yet real.

They stood waiting for another 20 minutes. By this time, Jun was getting really impatient.

"Darn. Why are they taking such long time?" She cursed and called out to Haruko, who promptly ignored her. "That girl… I'll get her for this…! By the way, did you two have a fight?"

Shuichi turned to Jun, whose eyes were resting on Haruko. He bit his lip. "I-"

"Shu-chan! We're done with checking in, and we have 40 minutes before boarding time. Let's go get a cup of coffee. Everyone up for it?" Haruko came bouncing over, smiling.

"I guess I was wrong about the fight…" Jun whispered. "Let's go!"

Shuichi gazed guiltily at Haruko's back as she walked on ahead of him, next to Jun. They had not spoken since last night. It was as if nothing had happened. Or, in other words, Haruko was acting as if nothing had changed between them.

"Shuichi?" Tsuyoshi deep baritone voice interrupted his thoughts. "Don't think so much on it. She'll be fine."

Shuichi whirled around, looking up at Tsuyoshi in shock. "What? What did you say?"

But, all he got in return was a pat on the head. He watched as Tsuyoshi trailed after the ladies. "What was that about? He knows about it? Was it you!" He cast Akiha a frantic look.

"I swear I didn't say a word! Haven't you learned that he's a sharp guy? Come one, let's go." Akiha tugged on Shuichi's arm gently and pulled him along.

"But…!"

A loud ringing tone interrupted Shuichi. He frowned.

_Eh? Not Maiko again…_

"Hello?"

"Shuichi?"

"Hiro? What's wrong? You sound strange…"

"Shuichi… listen to me. You have to stay calm, ok?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I know that I shouldn't be telling you this now, but I think it's better to let you know. There's been an accident."

Shuichi felt his heart lurched in fear. He held his breath, waiting.

After a short pause, Hiro continued: "It's Yuki. I think that he may be hurt quite badly."

It was all too much for Shuichi to process. He stood there, frozen cold.

"Shuichi? Shuichi! Are you ok?" The phone slipped from Shuichi's hand, smashing into many pieces as it hit the floor.

Although his mind had not fully comprehended what had just happened, his body was already taking action. Shuichi turned and ran for the exit, cut the queue and scrambled into a taxi. There was this strange whirring sound in his ears, and he could not hear Akiha shouting out for him. He only knew that he had to get to the hospital fast.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

It was raining cats and dogs.

Shuichi clawed at his own arms, unable to contain his worry. Although his body felt as if it was on fire, his heart was cold with fear. The trip back to town was agonizing. Due to the rain, traffic had slowed down to an impossible speed, and this was adding on to Shuichi's anxiety.

_Hurry, hurry, hurry!_

Shuichi looked out of the window and realized that he was finally nearing the hospital. The taxi slowed down to a stop again.

_Shit! At this rate, it'll take another half an hour or so to get to the hospital._

He let out a frustrated sigh.

_Yuki… I wonder if he's ok. I shouldn't have dropped my phone. Now, there's no way for me to contact Hiro._

_Maybe Yuki's fine by now… if so, what am I rushing to the hospital for?_

_But, what if Yuki…_

_No! I shouldn't be thinking of that!_

Shuichi shivered. He bit his lip, trying hard not to break down and cry.

_I can't just carry on waiting like this... _He fished out his wallet and passed the driver some money. "I'm getting off here!"

He leapt out of the taxi into the cold pouring rain onto the pathway and started running. The rain seeped through his clothes and within minutes, he was feeling a bit numb. However, he forced himself to continue moving.

_Yuki… Yuki… Please, wait for me!_

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

"_Haa… haa…haa…"_

"Is Shindou-san really coming?" Ayaka whispered to Hiro, as she watched Mika and Tohma paced up and down with worry.

"Tohma, don't worry, Yuki-san will definitely be all right!" Ryuichi chirped.

"Ryuichi-san…"

Tohma had called K to demand an explanation regarding Shuichi performing as a guest singer on their show. And so, they had arrived at the bar where Tohma, Mika, and Tatsuha were when Tohma received a phone call about the accident. Without hesitation, all of them had rushed to the hospital, out of worry for Yuki… and Shuichi (for some reason).

"I think so… he never really answered me though." Hiro sighed. "Why did this have to happen?"

"_Haa… haa… haa…"_

Hiro frowned worriedly. "If anything happens to Yuki, Shuichi will-"

"Waaahhh!"

CRASH!

Everyone turned in the direction of Suguru's yelp.

"What… Who…" Suguru muttered in pain. "…Shindou-san!"

"Shuichi?"

"Shindou-san?"

Everyone stared at Shuichi who had collapsed onto the floor out of breath, drenched to the core. "Haa… haa… haa…"

"Shuichi! Why are you drenched? Don't tell me you ran here in the rain?" Hiro knelt down on one knee beside his best friend.

Shuichi clung onto Hiro desperately. "Yuki… How's Yuki?"

"Shuichi, calm down."

"Shindou-san…" Tohma murmured gently.

Shuichi looked up in anticipation. His face was deathly pale, and his teeth were chattering uncontrollably, as drops of rainwater continued dripping down from his hair.

"Seguchi-san…" Shuichi struggled to his feet and leapt towards Tohma. "Seguchi-san! Yuki, Yuki, is Yuki safe?"

"Ah. He just got out of the operating theatre. Although it doesn't seem as serious as we expected it to be, he has a few broken ribs and he hit his head quite badly, so…"

"So?"

"The doctor says that it may be a while before he awakes."

Shuichi held his breath. "That means… no way… how could this have happened? Why?"

Tohma gazed at Shuichi sadly. "Apparently, someone had tampered with the brakes and because he was driving exceptionally fast, it added on to the damage. Shindou-san, Eiri-san was actually on his way to the airport, hoping to catch you before you leave."

"Wha-what?" Shuichi took a step backwards in disbelief. "But why…?"

"He left not long after he saw you singing on TV."

"It can't be… you're telling me that this is my fault? So if anything happens to Yuki, it's my fault? It's my fault…" Shuichi slumped back against the wall in shock. A wave of emptiness washed over him as he struggled to process what he had just heard.

Yuki had wanted to catch me before I leave? But why?

It was not long before Shuichi realized that the drops of water dripping down his face were not raindrops but silent tears. Suddenly, he felt a suffocating pain in his heart.

"Shuichi, it's ok, it's ok. It's not your fault. It was an accident." Hiro pulled the small, trembling boy into a hug immediately. "You need to change out of these wet clothes. At this rate, you'll fall sick soon."

At this point in time, the doctor came out of Yuki's ward.

"Doctor, how is he?" Mika asked worriedly.

"Like I said, it may take a while for him to regain consciousness. However, the longer he takes, the more dangerous it is for him. You can try to help him by talking to him and such."

"Shuichi!" Hiro called after the boy who had rushed into the ward.

Shuichi paused in his steps as he took in the sight of the unconscious man lying on the bed. He held his breath unwittingly, and his heart almost ceased beating. Yuki looked like a fallen angel with his peaceful sleeping face and glowing blond hair, set against pure white sheets. The only visible bandages were those around his head.

"Yuki…" Shuichi whispered and walked slowly towards the fallen angel.

Behind him, Tohma and Mika followed, while Hiro and the others stood by the doorway.

Shuichi sat down on the bed beside Yuki, and started stroking Yuki's cheek gently with his trembling hand. "Yuki… I'm sorry. I'm really sorry… I shouldn't have come back. If I didn't, all these wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

All the emotions that had been building up inside him were struggling to be released. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, Shuichi broke down into hysterical sobs.

"Yuki, please don't die. Please wake up… I beg you. There're so many things I haven't told you… Remember how you asked me why did I stop singing? I lied to you back then. Everytime I sang, all I could think of is you. It was simply too painful singing."

Hiro looked on sadly. It was then that he sensed someone standing close behind him. He turned back and widened his eyes. There stood Haruko, Akiha, Tsuyoshi and Jun. Haruko was looking extremely pale and hurt, while the others looked at her in concern.

Shuichi took hold of Yuki's hand and held it to his cheek. "I love you. I love you so much that it hurts. But you hate that, don't you? Those words mean nothing but a burden to you. You hated those words… that is why you didn't want me… you never wanted me. All you needed was someone to sleep with… You were satisfied back then when you got me to sleep with you again, right? But I wasn't… You'll never understand how much it hurts for me to return to the house that previously had been our home just to see that everything has been replaced with their belongings. I hate it! I hate them! I even hate you! You're really heartless… taking back each and every one of your lovers in such a short period of time. It's as if nothing had happened between us…"

He was pouring his heart out. All that he had kept bottled up over the past year. Everything. He needed to let them all out now.

"I even picked up smoking because of you. Smoking and drinking until I was able to stop thinking of you. The brand of cigarettes I smoke is similar to yours. Did you realize that?"

Shuichi bent down and leaned against Yuki's chest lightly. "But even if you didn't realize that, I'm sure that you knew the truth behind that photograph. I was thinking of you back then, Yuki. It even won an award… How ridiculous! It felt as if the whole world was happy with me being miserable…"

"I love you, Yuki. I can't help it. I've tried letting go over the past year, but I can't. So please don't die, Yuki!" He lifted his head. "If I can't stay by your side, I still want to be close to you. Please don't die! Yuki…"

Shuichi ceased sobbing and lowered his lips upon Yuki's, murmuring: "Yuki… please, Yuki… open you eyes… I'll do anything you say if you wake up. If you want me to disappear forever, I'll do it right away. I promise. Yuki… Yukiii…"

He was growing increasingly desperate by the minute. The thought of Yuki leaving this world had never crossed his mind before and it scared him to death that that was what might be happening right now.

_Yuki! _

It took a while for Shuichi to realize that something was amiss. He felt something warm and wet brushed against his lips.

_What…?_

Shuichi's eyes widened in bewilderment as he gazed down. It was Yuki. Yuki was returning the kiss. The next second, his eyelids fluttered open slowly.

Shuichi jerked away in shocked. "Yu… Yuki?"

"Eiri-san!" Tohma rushed forward and so did Mika.

"Eiri, how are you feeling? Are you ok?" Mika asked fretfully. Her eyes were red and puffed up.

"I'll get the doctor!" Tatsuha yelled.

Shuichi continued staring in wonder, unable to believe his eyes. "You're… awake…"

"Of course, baka." Yuki ignored Tohma and Mika and turned slightly to face Shuichi, answering in a soft and gentle tone. "How could I not wake up with you being so noisy? Stupid, noisy brat…"

"Wha-what? You're the one who made me so worried!" Shuichi could not control his tears again. He started crying uncontrollably, this time, in relief. "You're the stupid one…"

"Right, right. I got it. Can you please stop crying…? Shuichi? Shuichi?"

In that split second, Shuichi had collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily. Yuki tried to get up, but was stopped by a sharp bolt of pain in his chest.

"Eiri!"

"Shuichi!"

"Shindou-san!"

"Shu-chan!"

"Shuichi!"

**xXx xXx to be continued xXx xXx

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**Yeah, the ending of this chapter sucks, but oh well… haha!**

**I thought about it and realized that Shuichi's confession may be too long, but I still decided to leave it as it is.**


	24. Say It Again

**My exams are finally over! I'm really sorry for taking sooo long. But I've got no choice but to first concentrate on my exams. Sigh. But I still think I'm going to do badly for 2 of my papers. Anyway, sorry to keep everyone waiting. Here's the latest chapter of Mou Ichi Do… **

**WARNING: This chapter contains some sort of a lemon. If you're uncomfortable with it, please skip the ending. **

**I know the warning doesn't really make any sense because I've already rated this fic M. Haha… Honestly speaking, I never planned on writing another lemony part. I just felt that a lemon would fit well there, and so I wrote it. **

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me. **

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**MOU ICHI DO  
Chapter 24 – Say It Again **

It had been two days since Shuichi collapsed due to a high fever.

"I wonder how Shindou-kun is doing…" Sakano muttered worriedly.

"Shuichi will be fine na no da!"

"But, what is Shindou-san planning to do about Eiri-san?" Suguru frowned.

Hiro sighed as the elevator doors opened. "Shuichi… you idiot. After all this while, it comes back down to Yuki-san. But it's expected, isn't it? What Sakurai-san said last night is so true…"

**_Flashback_ **

"_I can't believe this! I won't consent to it!" Jun hissed furiously, still in shock._

"_Jun…"_

"_Weren't all those reports about them being together just a fluke? Shuichi has Haruko!" She whipped around to face Tsuyoshi. "Aren't you going to say anything? Haruko is your sister!"_

_Tsuyoshi met her gaze, unwavering._

"_Don't tell me…" Jun's eyes widened in shock. "Don't tell me you knew about it! And you didn't say or do anything… How could you? Aren't you worried for your sister?"_

"_It's ok, Jun."_

_Jun turned to Haruko, her expression softening. "Haruko…"_

"_I knew about it too."_

"_Huh?"_

"_From the time that Yuki-san saved Shu-chan, I had already suspected something. And when he came back from visiting Yuki-san, it became all clear to me… that… Yuki-san is someone very special to him. Besides, I've broken up with Shuichi."_

"_But aren't the both of you planning to get engaged soon? How can this be?" Jun forced herself to smile. "Don't worry, it's impossible for them to be together. I mean, they're both guys…"_

"_You might want to take that back," K smirked. "Shuichi's world revolves around Yuki Eiri, like it or not. And, apparently, that's never going to change."_

"_In other words, no matter what I do, Shuichi will never be mine, right?" Akiha muttered softly and smiled. _

"_Akiha! Don't tell me that you're giving up as well? But what about Haruko?"_

"_Shuichi… He is someone who needs to be taken care of, not someone who takes care of others. He belongs in someone's arms, not with someone in his arms. And the person he decided on is Yuki Eiri. Not me, not Haruko, not anybody else. There's nothing that can be done about this."_

**_End of flashback_ **

"Sakurai-san was right about Shuichi being someone who needs to be taken care of. It's just too bad that he chose a bastard like Yuki Eiri." Hiro shrugged.

"Nn, I agree." Suguru stepped up behind Hiro as the latter opened the door to Shuichi's ward.

"Shu- Huh?" Hiro frowned in confusion as he spotted the figure on the bed. "Sakurai-san?"

Akiha cracked one eye open as he shifted on the bed. "Oh, hi!"

"Uh… where's Shuichi?"

"He's not in."

Hiro cleared his throat carefully. "We can see that. Do you have any idea where is he?"

"Mmm… the sheets smell of Shuichi…" Akiha buried his face against the pillow. "My honey…"

Everyone sweatdropped, all except for Ryuichi.

"I don't think we're going to get an answer out of him." Noriko muttered in exasperation. "Ryuichi! Don't!" She snapped and caught hold of the back Ryuichi's collar as he struggled, wanting to jump onto the bed.

"But Ryuichi loves Shuichi's smell too! He smells of strawberries!"

"No!"

"Wahhh!"

"Hey!"

"Ouch!"

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx **

Shuichi jumped as he heard 3 successive distant crashes coming from the direction of his room. However, he was too preoccupied at the moment to take further notice of it. He raised his hand, pausing inches away from the door.

_In the end, I don't think I can do this! I'm not ready for this… I… I…_

"Damn." He cursed at himself and unconsciously started to bang his head against the door.

Before he knew it, he had fallen face flat onto the floor.

"Ouch!" He sat up, rubbing his nose. "What…"

He trailed off as he found himself staring up at the last person he wanted to see.

"Shindou-san, are you okay?" Atsushi smiled, somewhat sarcastically.

"Suzuki-san… Why… What…?"

"I'm here to visit Eiri-san."

Shuichi watched as Atsushi sauntered back to Yuki's bedside, and continued peeling an apple for the injured author. A bitter and sour taste crept up the back of his throat. At the same time, he felt as if a black, empty hole was trying to engulf his heart from the inside of him.

"I told you to leave."

"I know." Atsushi murmured and placed the peeled apple on the table. "Take care of yourself, Eiri-san. Goodbye."

Casting one last glance at Shuichi, he left the room without another word.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you guys. I'll go and get him back." Shuichi stammered and turned towards the door.

"What for?"

Shuichi turned back and stared at Yuki, confused and hurt.

"Come here."

"But he… You…"

"I told you to come here."

At this, Shuichi felt his anger rose. "Don't you order me around! I'm not your pet or your servant! And the last time I checked, I'm definitely not one of your stupid lovers!"

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "The last time I checked, you were going on and on about how still love me."

Shuichi stiffened and grew red in the face. "I- I- I was just blabbering nonsense! Who wants to be your lover? You've got enough lovers! All those flowers and presents are from them, aren't they?"

"Shuichi."

"Stupid! This is stupid! I'm not doing this anymore!" Shuichi cried and hurried towards the door.

"Idiot, wait- Ouch…" Yuki groaned and pressed his hand against his wound.

"Yuki!" Shuichi dashed to Yuki's side, his heart bursting with anxiety. "Yuki, are you all right? I'm going to get the doctor now. Hold on!"

He turned and headed for the door once again, but stopped when he felt Yuki's hand clamped over his.

"Yuki?"

"Don't go."

"Huh?"

"Stay here with me."

"What?"

Yuki tightened his grasp on Shuichi's arm. "What you said that night… Did you really mean it?"

They were silent for a few moments before Shuichi replied: "Does it matter? Even if I said yes, it wouldn't change anything."

"How can you be so sure?"

Shuichi smiled wryly. "Well if you had to ask me if I meant what I said, it proves that you still don't understand anything. Anyway, you've already got a perfect lover. He's nice, caring, and doesn't bug you so much. And there are also countless women who would die to be with you."

"They don't mean anything to me."

"That's the point, Yuki. Nobody ever meant anything to you."

Yuki released Shuichi's arm slowly, and the latter smiled sadly.

"I'll go get the doctor."

"But, you do."

Shuichi looked up in surprise. "Huh? What did you say?"

"If you happen to be in my mind most of the time, you must mean something, right?"

Shuichi stared at Yuki, dumbfounded.

"You said that you would do anything if I woke up. That's why I'm telling you to stay with me. Don't go…" Yuki turned and met Shuichi's gaze. "Don't go back to America."

"Wha-what are you saying so suddenly…" Shuichi struggled to rein in his racing heartbeat. "You don't really mean it, right?"

"I mean it." Yuki reached out for Shuichi and pulled him close.

"You… You're doing it again…" Shuichi gritted his teeth as he blinked back tears. "You're lying to me. You're doing this just to make me stay. And once you get tired of me, you'll throw me out again!"

"I won't." He pulled Shuichi even closer and frowned up at that tear-streaked face.

Shuichi trembled as he slowly wrapped his arms around Yuki's neck. "I'm scared… I feel so stupid. Even though I know that it's possible that you're lying to me again, I still can't help but believe you…"

"I'm not lying." Yuki brushed his lips against Shuichi's. "And besides, it's your fault that this is happening."

"Huh?"

"You came back with your lovers, and started messing with my head."

"Lovers? Akiha's not my lover! How many times do I have to repeat that? And I've broken up with Haruko…"

"Hn. Whatever. I don't give a damn about them." Yuki scratched his hair lazily. "So you promise to stay?"

"I…"

"You don't want to?"

"It's not that… You know that it's not that."

"Shuichi."

Shuichi gazed back at those beautiful golden orbs staring at him, waiting. He bit his lip hesitantly. "Well, if you're lying to me, could you please lie to me forever this time round?"

"I said that I'm not lying, stupid brat."

"I- Nn… Nnn…"

Deciding that he had heard enough, Yuki sealed Shuichi's lips with a hungry kiss.

They broke apart startled when they heard someone clapping from the doorway.

"Seguchi." Yuki narrowed his eyes, pissed off at the intrusion. "We're not finished here."

"I'm glad that you made up with Shindou-san, but Eiri-san, you're still injured. Whatever unfinished business you have, please leave it till you've recovered fully." Tohma proceeded on to sit down on the couch near the door. "So I take it that Shindou-san is staying in Japan then?"

"Uhm… I…" Shuichi stole a quick glance at Yuki and cringed when he saw Yuki glaring at him, as if daring him to say otherwise. "Yes! Yes! Of course I'm saying in Japan!"

_I can't believe he's threatening me with that look… _He sighed, feeling helpless. _As always, nobody can resist Yuki. Damn. I'm a fool._

Tohma beamed. "Does that mean that you're coming back to work for me, Shindou-san?"

"Eh? What?" Shuichi jumped. He was stunned as he had never thought of this before. "You mean that you want me to… sing again? But I can't!"

"Why not?"

"I- I just can't! I haven't been singing for so long, and I've been smoking and drinking and, and, and… I'm a model now!"

"You sang very well on TV. And about your modeling contract with Sakurai-san, I can talk to him about it."

"But about my singing on TV, it was only because I was singing for… for Yuki…"

Yuki leaned back down onto his bed. "Then you have just got to continue singing for me."

Shuichi gaped at Yuki in disbelief. _This arrogant bastard!_

Yuki continued, yawning. "But don't you go around writing lyrics. You have absolutely zero talent for songwriting."

Shuichi felt his eyebrow twitched. "Don't say that, you egoist bastard!"

"What? Am I wrong to say that?"

As Shuichi opened his mouth to say something back in reply, a loud crash interrupted them. Puzzled, he asked: "What was that?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention it earlier." Tohma smiled at Shuichi. "I passed by your ward and found Sakurai-san fighting with Ryuichi-san over your pillow."

"WHAT?" Shuichi cried out in disbelief. "Akiha must have done something strange. I've got to stop him! I'll come back to visit you later, Yukiiii!"

Tohma watched as Shuichi raced out without closing the door behind him. After a few moments, he asked softly: "Is everything going to be fine now, Eiri-san?"

"…Yeah, I think so…" Yuki stared in silence after Shuichi, watching him disappear around the corner.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx **

"Where's Shindou-san? I heard Mika mentioning that he refused to leave your side since yesterday afternoon…" Tohma asked as he stepped into Yuki's ward the next morning. "He was discharged from the hospital yesterday, right?"

"I made him go back to the hotel to change and to take a rest." Yuki answered without looking up from his laptop. "He was getting annoying."

"You say that but you don't mean it."

"Shut up."

Both heads turned when the door of the ward swung open and revealed a disheveled brown-haired boy.

"Shindou-san?" Tohma asked, startled and amused by Shuichi's strange behavior.

Shuichi ignored him. In fact, it seemed as though he did not see any of them there. His eyes darted around the ward frantically. Suddenly, he dove under Yuki's bed.

"Shuichi… what the hell are you doing?" Yuki asked coolly, as if this was what Shindou Shuichi does everyday – diving under beds for no apparent reason.

"Quiet! Can't you see that I'm trying to hide myself?"

Tohma's smile widened. "Shindou-san, I don't think that that's a good place to hide yourself because I can see you very clearly."

"What? Really? Oh shit! What should I do?" His voice rose to a hysterical pitch. "Yukiiii! Can I borrow your bed and your blanket? I really, really, really need a good hiding place. Ouch!" In his struggle to get up, he knocked his head accidentally.

Yuki's eyebrow twitched menacingly. "What the hell are you talking about? Get out from under there now!"

"But, Yuki…!"

Crash!

The door swung open once again, revealing a handsome man dressed in a slick white suit.

"Shuichi, my darling. Haven't you learned by now that you can never hide from me?"

Shuichi froze under the bed.

"Come on out, you naughty kitty…" Akiha grinned while grabbing Shuichi's legs, dragging him out.

"Nooo! Let me go, you pervert!" Shuichi screamed and clawed at the floor, trying to crawl back in under the bed. "Don't touch me!"

However, Akiha was much stronger and he scooped the flailing and kicking Shuichi into his arms. "Let's go, princess. You promised."

"But-"

"I'll let you go after that."

"But… I still can't do it! I just can't! Let me go! Let me go!" Shuichi was close to tears now. "Yukiiiiiiii!"

"What in the world is going on?" Yuki drawled in a murderous tone, setting his laptop aside.

"Yuki!" Shuichi managed to break free, throwing his arms around Yuki, burying his face against the crook of Yuki's neck. "I don't want to do it if it's not Yuki."

Yuki narrowed his eyes at Akiha as he interpreted that particular statement. "Would you **mind** explaining this?"

"Well, excuse me, Yuki-san. This is between Shuichi and me. I'm just trying to enforce my end of the deal. Earlier, he had promised me some NUDE photos in exchange for my help."

Silence filled the ward.

Shuichi tightened his arms around Yuki. "It's not what you're thinking! I was desperate for help and had no choice but to agree." He swiveled around and glared at Akiha. "You tricked me into it!"

"I did not. Anyway, the legal contract between us is still valid. Therefore, I'm your boss and you have to do what I say. Come with me…"

Yuki frowned. "You-"

"Sakurai-san, I think we need to talk. About Shindou-san's contract, NG Productions is most willing to pay any amount if you would agree to release him. Of course, this means that Shindou-san will have to work for NG Productions then." Tohma eyed Shuichi carefully. "He'll have to work really hard to make up for the amount that the company spent in order to get him back. Don't you agree, Shindou-san?"

Shuichi trembled slightly under Tohma's creepy gaze. "Uh… ye-yeah…"

"Please remember that you have to come up with the lyrics for the new song." Tohma then turned to Akiha. "Sakurai-san, would you mind joining me for lunch?"

Akiha hesitated for a moment, before sighing in disappointment. "Fine, I'll let you off this time. Since you look as if you're going to cry any second now… and that's so cute."

"What?" Shuichi sputtered indignantly. But before he could yell back, Tohma and Akiha were already out the door. There was nothing much he could do but curse. "Stupid Akiha! He's such a big idiot. And Seguchi-san is so scary! I've got to work on my lyrics soon, or he'll kill me... Waahhhh!"

Shuichi yelped as Yuki yanked his arm, causing him to fall onto the bed. The not-so-pleased author then flipped their positions around skillfully, and started licking Shuichi's neck.

"That boyfriend of yours is irritating."

"He's not my boyfriend! You… You are… right?"

"Hn."

**(NC-17) **

"Yu-Yuki? What are you- Ahh!" Shuichi jumped as he felt Yuki's hand pressed against an extremely familiar place. He struggled uncomfortably, gently pushing against Yuki away.

"Haven't I told you that you have absolutely zero talent for songwriting?"

"Stop saying that! Wait, Yuki…"

"Shut up." Yuki whispered and increased the intensity of his attacks. He slipped his hand into Shuichi's shirt, brushing against Shuichi's nipple, causing the boy to arch his back longingly. "Don't you want to celebrate the hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of me reminding you that you have zero talent for songwriting?"

Shuichi's eyes widened in surprise. "You still remember that?"

"Of course I do. Because it's a well-known fact that your lyrics sucks."

"Shut-" Shuichi gasped. "Yuki, stop it… Ah… We're still… still in the hospital…"

"Nobody's going to come in at this time of the day…"

"How can you… be so sure? And besides, your wounds… Stop…"

"I don't think you really want me to stop." Yuki smirked slightly as he tugged Shuichi's pants down, and then ran his tongue over the exposed tip, earning himself an alluring moan. After some teasing and sucking, Shuichi came once, and Yuki decided that he liked the taste of Shuichi best. This urged him on, and as a result, Shuichi was not given much time to recover.

Within seconds, Yuki's finger, which was slightly lubricated with cum, was already stretching and preparing Shuichi for what was to come next.

"Yu-ki… No more… Now… Want you now…"

Yuki used his free hand to brush Shuichi's hair aside. "Say it and I'll give you what you want."

Shuichi whimpered pitifully. His mind raced. _Say what? What am I supposed to say?_

"I… want you…"

"Not that."

"Need you…"

"Not that."

Shuichi groaned. Tears of agony slipped from his eyes. He couldn't take it any longer. But Yuki had clamped a hand over the tip of his length to stop him from coming.

"Yuki… please… let me come…"

"Not that."

He was sobbing quietly by now. With one last desperate attempt, he cried out: "I love you!"

With that, Yuki slammed into Shuichi and sealed the boy's scream with a searing kiss.

Panting in pleasure after their lips broke apart, Shuichi continued chanting those three enchanted words while still in tears.

"I love you-"

Thrust.

"Ahhhh! I love you, Yuki…"

Thrust.

"Yuki, Yukiiii! I love you, love you, really love you."

With each repetition, Yuki slammed hard into Shuichi. It didn't take long for Shuichi to come hard. However, this signified not just physical release for Shuichi, but a mental release too.

_I swore never to say those words again, and I never thought that you would someday want to hear them…_

He laid there crying, feeling tired but relieved, as if a heavy burden had just been lifted off him.

"Shuichi?"

"I love you, Yuki. I'll always love you… only you… for all my life." Shuichi mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Yuki tightly, and soon drifted off to sleep.

Yuki continued lying beside Shuichi for a few minutes, before removing himself from Shuichi's arms carefully. After making sure that his clothes were in order, he helped the slumbering boy get dressed (at least to a fairly decent state), staring at Shuichi for a long, long time.

"…I think I feel the same way too."

**xXx xXx To be continued xXx xXx **

**

* * *

**

**Done! I hope that it was ok… Actually, I had some trouble with the middle part. It's hard trying to bring them back together again naturally, and at the same time making sure that Yuki doesn't get too OOC. Looking back on what I've written, I've got to say… Shuichi seems to be too easily pleased. Hmm**

**Thank you so much for reading!**


	25. One More Time

**I'm sorry that I broke my promise. It was the lyrics that gave me a headache. I can't write lyrics at all. In the end, I only wrote part of the song. I added in "…" to show that the song should have been longer than what it seems. Yuki would definitely agree that I'm worse than Shuichi. Hahaha. Anyway, please enjoy the last chapter.**

**Just to remind you, "Mou ichi do" means "One more time".**

**Lyrics of 'The Rage Beat' were taken from of 'Into the Future' were crapped up by me. Lol!**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.**

**MOU ICHI DO  
Chapter 25 – One More Time

* * *

**

Shuichi tapped his cigarette lightly against the ashtray, before raising it back up to his dry lips. It trembled in between his fingers. Or rather, it was his hand that was trembling uncontrollably. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and licked his dry lips.

Jet black hair, heavy and dark mascara, glitter, lipstick, lip gloss, etc. Furthermore, he was totally clad in black. A sleeveless see-through netted top, a short leather jacket, a pair of leather mini-shorts buckled up with a belt, and a pair of low-thigh boots, a glove on his left hand, a thick bracelet on his right wrist. However, instead of a black leather collar, he had opted for a heavy metallic silver cross.

_I look so… different…_

Shuichi sighed. It has been quite some time since he had last dressed like this. After switching to the modeling profession, he had been wearing sexy and stylish designer clothes, and not sexy and sexy AND sexy clothes that were practically screaming: "I'm soooo edible! Come and get me!"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

More high-pitched screams sounded from the direction of the stage, causing him to tremble once again. Instinctively, he took a long drag on his cigarette, trying to calm down.

"What do you think you're doing?" A steely voice asked, and immediately, Shuichi felt something cold and hard pressed against his forehead.

Before he could answer, a hand appeared out of nowhere and snatched his cigarette stick away from him.

"Hey! Give that back!" He sprung up from his seat and glared at Hiro.

"No way. You've got to quit smoking."

Shuichi swore under his breath and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the dressing table. But K got to it first.

"Shit! Return that to me. It's mine."

"I wouldn't be bothered if you were still a model. But now that you've return to singing, I forbid you to smoke." K released the safety hatch on his gun. "Do you understand?"

Shuichi gritted his teeth. "But I can't go through this without them."

"Shuichi."

"They calm me down!"

"Shuichi, you don't need those."

"I'm scared!"

"There's no reason for you to be-"

"I'm so scared! I can't take it anymore!"

Hiro, K, Suguru and Sakano stared helplessly at the trembling Shuichi, who had squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his hands over his ears.

"Shuichi!" A loud and cheerful voice rang out before anyone could say anything.

Shuichi turned around fearfully and found himself staring at none other but his idol, Sakuma Ryuichi.

"Shuichi! Do your best later! Kumagorou is overjoyed to be able to hear Shuichi sing again. Kumagorou wants an autographed poster of Bad Luck!" Ryuichi grinned and Kumagorou waved his arm excitedly.

"I… I…" Shuichi bit his lip anxiously. Suddenly, he darted for the door. "I'm sorry! I can't do this! Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

However, before he could escape, Hiro grabbed his arm. "Shuichi, wait! Stop! Just calm down!"

"No! Let me go! Please…"

"Shindou-san, you can't back out now…" Sakano was starting to lose a grip on himself too.

"No! No! I don't want to do this! I can't! Get Sakuma-san to sing! Bad Grasper can perform in place of Bad Luck!" Shuichi struggled violently and even attempted to bite the arm that was restraining him.

"This concert belongs to Bad Luck. Everyone out there is waiting to see you. There's no way that anyone can replace you!"

"I don't care! I can't do it. I just can't do it!"

Suddenly, somebody grabbed Shuichi from the back.

"Shuichi, what's wrong?" Akiha asked as he wrapped his arms around the boy. Shuichi's back was pressed tightly against Akiha's chest.

"Akiha… Akiha! Help me! I want to leave! Get me out of here!"

With his left arm locking the hysterical Shuichi in place, Akiha covered Shuichi's eyes with his right hand. He then bent down and whispered right beside Shuichi's ear. "Shuichi, calm down. Breathe… focus… take deep breaths. Relax… Don't worry… I'm here with you."

To everyone's surprise, Shuichi stopped struggling and did as he was told.

"He's good." K blinked in amazement.

"Now, can you tell me why you're so afraid?"

"I… I can't sing. I haven't sung for a long time. What if I forget the lyrics? What if I lose my voice onstage? What if-"

"That won't happen. You're a talented singer, Shuichi. Even though I've only heard you sing a few times, and even though I wish that you would continue modeling instead, I can't deny that you sing beautifully. And, I'm sure that everyone feels that way too."

"But-"

Akiha sighed softly. He guided Shuichi to a seat, and then knelt down beside the boy. "It's something else, isn't it?"

"…" Shuichi looked away uneasily.

"Yuki Eiri, right?"

Shuichi bit his lip and clenched his fists tightly. His nails dug painfully into his palms.

Akiha frowned. "No biting your lips, and no clenching your fists. You're just going to hurt yourself again. Whenever you lose control like this, it's always about him."

"This happens often?" Suguru whispered as Hiro frowned.

"It's not his fault."

"You say that everytime too." Akiha gave Shuichi a wry smile before returning to his serious demeanor. "Haven't the two of you made up? What's wrong now?"

"It's just that… he's not here. He hates such concerts."

At this very moment, the door swung open suddenly, startling everyone. Tohma and Yuki were at the door. Shuichi gasped softly and grabbed onto Akiha's arm, refusing to look at Yuki. "Yuki…?"

"Shindou-san? Is something wrong?" Tohma took a look around the room.

"It's nothing, Seguchi-san. I suggest we leave the two of them alone." Akiha patted his head before standing up.

Completely frightened by the thought of that, Shuichi tightened his grip on Akiha's arm.

"Don't worry…" Akiha bent down and kissed Shuichi's head. "I'll be there for you no matter what happens, okay?" He pried Shuichi's fingers loose and smiled gently.

"Come on, let's go get ready while waiting for Shuichi. Ryuichi is in charge of the opening act, remember?" K waved his gun, shooing the rest of Bad Luck and Ryuichi out of the room.

"Well then, Eiri-san, I'll go take a seat first."

"He's extremely fragile, so handle him with care." Akiha warned somewhat sternly (protecting Shuichi had become a natural instinct for him), earning himself a deadly glare.

When they were finally left alone, Shuichi still refused to face Yuki.

"Shuichi."

Shuichi jumped at the sound of his name.

"Shuichi. What's wrong?" Yuki held his palm against Shuichi's cheek, causing Shuichi to shiver involuntarily.

"N-nothing."

"Say it."

Shuichi fidgeted uncomfortably before mumbling. "I… I thought you were not coming…"

"Is that it?" Yuki blinked his eyes in surprise before sighing. "Stupid. I told you that I'll come, right?"

"But you never wanted to come to any of my concerts in the past."

"You said it yourself too… 'in the past'…"

"…"

Yuki flicked a finger at Shuichi's forehead.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?"

"That's what an idiot gets."

Shuichi pouted. "I'm not an idiot. You're so-"

The next moment, Shuichi found himself pressed against Yuki's chest.

"Yuki?"

"Shut up."

After getting over his initial shock, Shuichi finally smiled and relaxed. He wrapped his arms around Yuki's waist, returning the hug. They pulled apart when a knock sounded at the door.

"Shuichi, we're starting in 5 minutes."

"Got it! I'll be out soon!" Shuichi shouted back and then gazed up at Yuki, into those golden orbs. "I love you, Yuki."

Yuki remained silent for a few seconds before bending down for a kiss. "Don't look at me with that expression, or I'll screw you here right now, so that you won't be able to stand on stage later."

Shuichi'seyes widened in horror and heblushed furiously. "Yu-kiiiii!"

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

The audience broke out in cheers as Ryuichi ended his song. Within seconds, the whole concert hall was thrown into darkness, signaling the start of the main show. More excited screams filled the air and everyone began chanting in unison. "Bad Luck! Bad Luck! Bad Luck!"

At long last, the music blasted through the speakers and as Shuichi started on his first note, the stage lit up in an array of colors.

**Obieta mezuki de iradatsu omoi uwaki na kaze ni hakisutete  
****Hibi-wareta rojou ni toketa shigunaru wa kizuato dake nokoshite-iku**

It didn't take long for Shuichi to relax and immerse himself in his music. He was growing more and more confident with each note. Eyes gleaming with excitement and with a tiny smile on his lips, he delivered each note perfectly.

**Madoronda noizu ga asu o keshi-saru mae ni  
****Yabou ni hibiku kutsuoto o oikakete  
****Doko ni mo tomaranai  
****Mitasanai Emotion shikato kimete oikose yo  
****Furueteru shai na seikai no nuke-michi o neratte  
****Tadoritsuku basho e I Want New World**

…

He understood it now. This was where he belonged. Although he liked modeling, he loved singing lots more. Pouring his heart out, hoping that his songs would bring others joy and tears… That had always been his dream, and he realized now that he would never want to give it up.

After performing old Bad Luck hits like Glaring Dream, In the Moonlight, and so on, it was finally time to end the concert. All of a sudden, a horrible screeching sound filled the hall. Everyone stopped screaming and clapped their hands over their ears.

"Sorry for that." Shuichi smiled apologetically. "But everyone, please hear me out quietly for a few minutes."

Within seconds, the entire audience fell into silence.

"Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for turning up. You have no idea how happy I am to be able to sing for every one of you again. And, secondly… I'm sorry. I know that it was really irresponsible of me to leave so suddenly back then, without offering any explanation. I'm not sure what you've heard or what you think had happened, but I left because I was too weak. I lost confidence in myself. I lost confidence in singing. And, most of all, I lost confidence in… my feelings. It took me one long year to recover what I had lost, and I'm really grateful to be given a chance to sing again."

"Shuichi…" Many of Shuichi's fangirls were close to tears by now.

"I'd also like to take this chance to thank the people who pulled me up and gave me courage to move on. I know that I've messed everything up and some of you may not be able to forgive me, but no matter what, I'll always love you."

Shuichi then turned back to Hiro and Suguru. "Of course, I wouldn't dare to forget my old friends. Thank you so much for welcoming me back even though I've caused you guys so much trouble."

Hiro gave Shuichi a wink and the latter smiled back in appreciation, before turning back to the audience.

"And finally…" Shuichi gazed up at the VIP area where he knew Yuki was sitting. "I'm… sorry…"

He shut his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath before continuing in a soft voice. "I know that my feelings for you may just continue hurting others… hurting you… hurting myself… but, as expected, I still can't let you go. Falling in love with you, loving you, and still loving you. That's all that I know how to do, and that's probably what I'll be doing forever. Therefore, please… don't ever hate me…" Shuichi opened his eyes and directed a pleading look in the direction of the VIP area. "Ok?"

"Shuichi really returned to Yuki Eiri's side?" Someone in the audience yelled. "We'll always support you guys!"

"Yeah! You guys are the prefect couple! Although I'd love to marry one of you guys…"

"Agree! Agree!"

"Yuki Eiri's here too? Where? Where?"

More and more shouts could be heard. Fortunately, before the situation spiraled out of control, Hiro and Suguru cut in with the start of the last song.

Taking their cue, Shuichi returned his focus to the audience. "Well then, to thank everyone, here's Bad Luck's newest single and also the last song for the night. Presenting to you… 'Into the Future'!"

That successfully diverted the audience's attention back to Bad Luck's concert.

**I once walked these streets alone  
****On the edge of insanity  
****Rain poured down hard on me  
****Just like your overflowing dreams  
****Of love and happiness  
****That almost choked me**

**I couldn't resist the temptation  
****Feeling the touch of your skin  
****Your kisses faded silently  
****You were all but a dream  
****I'm sorry for the tears back then  
****Won't you give us another chance?  
****I want all your dreams back now  
****All the pain and the love**

**So come to me, stay by my side  
****Hold my hand and never let go  
****I want to be close to you always  
****Closer and closest I can get**

**Spread the wings of your heart  
****Soar into the endless blue sky  
****Free from all but my love  
****Take my love  
****Into the future**

…

**Brought together by chance  
****Chained together by fate  
****Bleeding together for eternity**

…

**So kiss me now, and hold me tight  
****Feel my heat burn deep into you  
****I want to be close to you always  
****Closer and closest I can get**

**Spread the wings of our hearts  
****Soar into the breaking dawn  
****Free from all but our love  
****Take our love  
****Into the future**

**Our future…**

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

"Nnnghhh… Yuki…"

Sounds of panting and moaning filled the room as Yuki worked his way around Shuichi's body for the third time.

"Ah… Ahhhh! Yuki!"

Shuichi lied still in Yuki's arms, the both of them struggling to regain their composure. The large object in the corner of the room caught his eye.

"Yuki…"

"Hn?"

"What are you going to do with that photograph?"

"… I have no idea. Just leave it there for the time being."

"Akiha that idiot… fancy leaving us with such a photograph. And he… they didn't even say goodbye…"

(Flashback)

"_Shit! Where in the world is he?" Shuichi cursed as he dialed the number again. Still, there was no answer._

"_Shuichi, aren't you leaving already? Yuki's waiting for you, right?" Hiro asked as he walked out of the dressing room._

"_I'm trying to find Akiha. But he's not picking up my call…"_

"_Shindou-san, Sakurai-san and his friends have left for the airport. He left this for you." Tohma passed Shuichi an envelope, which Shuichi immediately tore open anxiously. _

**"_Dearest darling,_**

_**Sorry for not being able to say goodbye, but our flight leaves at 10:30pm. Thank you for making the past one year so wonderful and memorable for me. I thank god for giving me the chance to meet you. And Shuichi, please remember that no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you.  
I'm leaving you an early Christmas present in your hotel room because I don't think we'll be meeting again soon. But, hopefully, the next time we do so, you'll show me more of your beautiful smiles instead of your heartbreaking tears.**_

_**Love you!**_

_**Best Wishes,  
Akiha**_

_**P.S. Hey, Shu-chan! I've never blamed you for what happened. (None of us did.) Love is a unique thing that can't be controlled. It doesn't matter if your partner's a guy or a girl. All that matters is that you're happy. I wish you all the happiness in the world. – Love, Haruko"**_

_Shuichi couldn't stop the tears the ran down his cheeks. When Hiro pulled him into a hug, he broke down into sobs. "Akiha... Akiha..."_

_He loved Akiha, though not in a romantic way. Akiha had been the one who dragged him up to his feet, the one who stood by him, the one who offered him warmth and comfort during the darkest days of his life. Without Akiha around as his pillar of strength, Shuichi felt strangely lost._

_After drying his tears, hemet Yuki in the car and beggedYuki to stop over at the hotel on the way home. There, they had found a large object wrapped up with a brown paper packaging, with a note stuck on it: "Shuichi, thanks for keeping your part of the deal. Hahaha!"_

_Curious, Shuichi carefully tore off the brown paper packaging. When most of it had been torn off, Shuichi's eyes widened in shock._

"_Wha-What… WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" He screamed and blushed as he stared at a large, framed photograph/poster of him and Yuki making out in the hospital ward. "I can't believe he did this… Doesn't that mean he saw us back then? Oh my god… oh my god… I'm going to murder him if he ever dares to show up before me again!"_

(End of flashback)

Shuichi snuggled closer to Yuki. "Yuki, are you mad at that photograph?"

"…" Yuki sat up and got himself a cigarette. "Of course."

"Sorry…"

Yuki ran his hand through Shuichi's hair (returned to its previous shade of brown), thoughts racing. _Well, I'm a little pissed off that he managed to capture a nude shot of Shuichi… but in actual fact, I'm glad that he saw us. That way, he'll get it when I say that the brat belongs to me._

"What are you smirking at?"

"Nothing." He blew out a trail of smoke.

"Yuki… thanks so much for writing me that song. I love it lots. I bet we'll see the title 'Into the Future' at the top of the charts soon."

"Hm…"

"And… I'm sorry for saying so much during the concert. I just couldn't help it…" Shuichi clambered onto the top of Yuki, and hugged him tightly. "Ne, Yuki… you really don't mind me telling you how much I love you?"

"…"

"Because if that's so, I won't stop saying that I love you ever again."

"Stupid." Yuki replied softly in a gentle tone.

"Well then, Yuki, let's give our relationship another shot. Let's try it again, ok? One more time…"

Yuki stared back at Shuichi's hopeful smiling face, noting how beautiful his violet eyes were, how warm his smile was, how alluring his lips were. It felt so surreal, having Shuichi back in his arms again. It was then that he realized – he didn't want to give Shuichi up ever again.

_One more time… fall in love with me._

_One more time…allow me to fall in love with you._

Reaching out, he put out his cigarette before turning back to Shuichi. "So you want to try it one more time? I'm ok with that."

With that, Yuki flipped their positions over.

"Yu-Yuki?"

"Didn't you say that you want to try it one more time?"

"I… I didn't mean this!" Shuichi blushed and struggled to push Yuki off. "Wait… Wait! I'm too tired… Yuki! Ah! Ahhh!"

However, Yuki continued with his attacks.

"Stop!" Shuichi finally managed to struggle free. He threw a pillow at Yuki, still blushing furiously. "Stupid Yuki. I'm going to sleep now. No more!"

"Hmph. You were the one who asked for it."

"Did not!" Shuichi tugged himself under the covers and turned onto one side, so that his back was facing Yuki.

After a few minutes of silence, Shuichi mumbled. "Can I take that as an agreement to what I said earlier?"

Instead of replying, Yuki wrapped one arm around Shuichi's waist. Shuichi smiled and stifled a yawn. "Nnn… Yuki, I love-"

Unfortunately, he drifted off to sleep before managing to complete his sentence. And, regrettably, he did not manage to catch Yuki's attempt to make it complete.

"-you."

_Yes, let us try this all over again. Even though it may not turn out the way we want it to be, we could keep trying… _

_One more time, one more time, AND one more time…_

_Until the day we cease to be._

**- The End -

* * *

**

**Ahhh… (sighs in relief). I left out the graphic lemon scenes at the end. Didn't want to write another lemon scene. (sweats) It's hard to write a good lemon scene. So, I leave it up to your imagination :D**

**That's the end of Mou Ichi Do, the longest fic I've ever written. I don't think I can ever write such a long story again. Honestly, I didn't plan on writing so many chapters. It just happened. Hahaha! I guess the saddest thing about ending this is... I'm sure I'll miss Akihabecause I love him lots.(sniffles)**

**Hmm... Perhaps I'll add an omake to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS.(laughs)  
****And I do have an idea for a new story, a romance/humor one, but I probably wouldn't put it up so soon.**

**Lastly, THANK YOU, everyone, for sticking with me for these past months. I really appreciate it lots! I think I spent more than a year writing this... Yup, I did. I can't believe it. The more I think about it, the more I don't want this to end.**

**But for now, ta-ta! And, have a wonderful Christmas!**


	26. Christmas Special

**Ok, I hope I'm not too late to put this up. It's 3:30am now. I've got to sleep soon, before my mum nags at me. Argh!**

**This last special chapter is full of crack, with a sweet (?) ending. I don't really celebrate Christmas... I do get together with friends, but that's about it (although I love Christmas), so if I get anything wrong, please forgive me. (Especially the mistletoe etiquette. I only know that you're supposed to kiss.) **

**And, there's no time to edit it. Sorry!**

**DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me. And, the lyrics of the last song comes from 'The Christmas Song' by The Platters.

* * *

**

**MOU ICHI DO  
****Christmas Special**

"Mmm… Shuichi… You smell nice…"

"Ah… Unn…"

"Shuichi…"

"Ah! Stop… We shouldn't be doing this on Christmas Eve…"

He chuckled. "You silly, this is how couples spend Christmas… in each other's arms. Besides, won't you make my wish come true?"

"Huh?"

"…all I want for Christmas is you…" He smiled as he saw the blush creeping onto Shuichi's lovely face.

"Don't say that…"

"Why not?"

"Don't say that… unless you really mean it."

"I do."

"Liar…"

"You're so beautiful…" He leaned down and began kissing Shuichi gently. All of a sudden, he craved to hear those three words badly. "Shuichi, do you love me?"

"I… I do… I love you… Akiha..."

He gazed down at Shuichi, his heart bursting with love.

"Akiha… Akiha!"

"Shuichi…"

"Akiha! Stop! What are you doing? Akiha!"

CRASH!

"Ouch--" Akiha sat up on the floor, massaging the back of his head at the same time. "What's going on?"

"God… You were hugging and smooching me back there. What were you dreaming off?" Jun asked in a disgusted tone. "Anyway, it's time to get up. We can't be late for the party, so please get yourself ready soon!"

"Oh yeah…" Akiha mumbled, disappointed that he was so cruelly flung out of his sweet little dream. "Shuichi…"

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

"Yuki! Come help me decorate the tree!"

Yuki grunted and continued staring at the TV. "This isn't our house, and that isn't our Christmas tree. So stop meddling with it."

"Yuki!" Shuichi whined and pouted. When that failed to work its magic on Yuki, he chose to glare at Yuki next. "Right. And whose fault is it that we didn't manage to get a tree?"

"…"

"It's your fault! I can't believe you actually locked yourself up in the study room, working day and night. You refused to go get a tree with me!"

"You could have done it yourself."

"But it's Christmas! It's a time for loving and sharing! I wanted to get a tree with you, decorate it with you, and-"

"It's just a tree, idiot. Stop getting so hung up on it."

"But… but I love decorating it. It's so fun! Last year, Akiha came back with a really tall and big one, and he even bought all the ornaments… those shiny, pretty balls, the strings of lights, candy canes… he left it up to me to decorate the tree, eventually, we had to do it together since the tree was so big. And he-"

"Fine, fine. I got it! I'll help you, so just shut the hell up."

Yuki cursed inwardly as he handed Shuichi a candy cane. It's been 5 months, 8 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes, and 6 seconds since they had made up after one long year of being apart. And still, STILL, he was bothered by the fact that Shuichi was so close to that renowned photographer. Too close, in fact.

He remembered how Shuichi had anxiously started on a spring cleaning project when he first moved back into the apartment. Shuichi had asked very nicely, if he was allowed to get rid off all the pests he found. He agreed, of course. Who in their right mind would want pests lying around their houses anyway? But little did he expect, Shuichi's definition of pests included half of all the items in the house – things belonging to Atsushi and any one of Yuki's other lovers (including their telephone numbers), things like mugs and plates and utensils, things like the sofa and the bed… basically, anything that Yuki's ex-lovers might have "dirtied".

His whole apartment was transformed because of that spring cleaning project. Strangely though, he did not mind it much. Instead, the only thing that irritated him was the fact that Shuichi kept close contact with the one man called Sakurai Akiha.

Itpissed him off.

"Yuki, you've got a scary look on your face. Smile! You've got to smile cheerfully since it's Christmas Eve. Now, hand me the star."

Yuki did as he was told. "Be careful. Don't fall. At least, don't fall on me."

"Yuki!" Shuichi cried out indignantly as he stood on a chair, struggling to fix the star in place. "A little more… just a little more… Wahhhhh!"

CRASH!

The next second, Shuichi found himself lying on top on the tree, which was lying on top of Yuki, who was lying on the floor.

"Ahh! Yuki! Are you ok?" Shuichi scrambled to get off the tree, and Yuki pushed the tree off himself. "I'm so sorry!"

"Ouch… Stupid brat! And look what you've done. The tree is ruined."

Shuichi started brushing sticks of green needles off Yuki's shirt. "I'm more worried about you. Are you ok? Who cares about the tree?"

"Shindou-san, what have you done to my tree?"

It took Shuichi a few moments to register that voice. And when he did, he screamed out loud in horror. "Ahhhhhhh! Se-se-seguchi-san!"

Tohma continued staring at the toppled tree.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll get it fixed soon! I promise!"

This time, Tohma turned to Shuichi and smiled. "It's okay, Shindou-san. Just remember to fix it **soon**."

Shuichi gulped in terror and crawled behind Yuki. "Y-yes."

Tohma continued smiling, and Yuki frowned. "Stop smiling. You're scaring him. And Shuichi… now you see… it isn't that great for everyone to be smiling cheerfully on Christmas Eve."

Shuichi nodded his head slowly.

"Hmm? Would you prefer if I not smile?" With that, Tohma hid his trademark smile immediately. Piercing emerald eyes, cruel lips, and the aura of an arrogant, icy queen.

Yuki turned pale and felt Shuichi gripped his sleeve. "I… I think it's better for you to smile."

"I'll grant any wish of yours, Eiri-san." Tohma quipped, smiling a little too happily. "Shindou-san… please remember to fix the tree."

Shuichi could only relax after Tohma was out of sight. "He's scary… even on Christmas Eve. Yuki, help me get the tree up."

"Yeah, yeah. Damn it. Why do I have to help you anyway?"

"Aw, Yuki… please?" He leaned forward and starting nibbling on Yuki's lower lip. "By the way, stop cursing on Christmas Eve… Nn…"

Half an hour later, Shuichi stared at the glittering tree as he stood on the chair. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

At that moment, the buzzer rang.

"Shuichi!" A shrill cry rang out seconds later. "Shuichi, my honey!"

Shuichi swiveled around. His eyes widened at what he saw. "Oh shit."

CRASH!

He groaned as his back landed on something hard, stiff, and prickly – the Christmas tree, with Akiha on top of him. "Oh no no no…"

"I missed you so much, my darling."

"Akiha…" He shook with rage. "Look what you've done to my tree! I spent so much time on it! My precious tree!"

"I assume that you're referring to **my** tree, Shindou-san. I really hope you get it fixed soon."

Shuichi stiffened as he recognized Tohma's serene voice. "Oh shit."

"I thought you said to stop cursing on Christmas Eve."

"Oh shut up, you mean bastard." He stuck out a tongue at Yuki before shifting his attention back to the warm body wrapped around his. "AND STOP RUBBING AGAINST ME, YOU PERVERT!"

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Another thirty minutes later, the tree was finally up, standing tall and bright. Tohma had banned everyone from going near the Christmas tree, and had delivered an extra smile towards Shuichi when he announced that.

Disappointed with not being able to play around with the Christmas tree anymore, Shuichi started searching for some other stuff to do. And, God bless him, he actually found something much more interesting.

For the next half hour, he took pleasure in walking through the kitchen door whenever Yuki happened to be doing the same thing. Furthermore, he made sure that they were together under the doorway at some point in time. Each time it happened, he giggled and grabbed onto Yuki's arm, waiting.

Yuki rolled his eyes, but obliged. However, after the fourth time, he was beginning to get annoyed. "If it's a kiss you want, why don't you just say it? I'd rather not kiss at the kitchen doorway."

"But it's more fun this way! Kissing under the mistletoe is a Christmas tradition… And the correct mistletoe etiquette is for a man to pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe. So when the last berry is gone, there should be no more kissing…"

"I didn't know you were a 'woman'." Yuki smirked before crushing his lips down upon Shuichi's, giving him a much more passionate kiss than the previous ones.

When they finally broke apart, Shuichi was out of breath. It was then that he sensed somebody watching them. He turned and froze. "Haruko?"

Haruko stood still, watching them, blushing slightly.

"Er… Haruko… I… We…" Shuichi muttered uncomfortably.

"Can you guys do that again?"

Shuichi's head shot up. "Huh?"

"That was so hot. Kyaaa! I'm so lucky! Come on, do that again!"

Yuki and Shuichi stared at Haruko's bright, glimmering eyes. _Shit… not another crazy fangirl…_

"Quit getting in my way, or I'll tear down the mistletoe." Mika said, as she pushed past the couple, carrying a cake.

Shuichi finally gave up on the mistletoe, and chose to sing Christmas carols with Ryuichi. After that, Ryuichi suggested a game of musical chairs, and so everybody was forced to play the game by K… and his gun.

Feeling thirsty after yelling at K throughout the whole game, Shuichi decided to get a can of cold drink from the refrigerator. He frowned when he spotted Akiha standing right at the kitchen doorway, smiling nonchalantly. A warning bell set off inside him, and fortunately, before he took the fatal step, he stopped in his tracks.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Liar. You're planning on something, right?" Shuichi glared at Akiha before tilting his head up. "Mistletoes only work between a man and a woman."

"Nonsense, Shuichi. The magic of mistletoes shouldn't be limited to such gender boundaries. Any two people who are caught under them should kiss, no matter what their genders are."

"Shuichi, you said you needed a drink?" Tsuyoshi appeared suddenly. He held out a can of drink towards Shuichi. "Here."

Shuichi stared at him, wide-eyed. He glanced at the drink, then at Tsuyoshi, then at Akiha, and finally up at the mistletoe. "Akiha, you were saying…?"

"…"

Shuichi shot them an evil grin. "Come on, show me a kiss."

And a kiss was what he was shown.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Shuichi stared out of the window as he sat, curled up beside Yuki.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful  
But the fire is so delightful  
And since we've no place to go  
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

"What are you doing?" Yuki asked, looking up from his book.

"Oh… I just thought that maybe it would snow soon if I kept on singing that song. Why isn't it snowing this year?"

"It's not as if you've never seen snow before."

"But I love snow…"

"Hn." He pulled Shuichi closer and continued reading his book, silently acknowledging the true meaning behind Shuichi's words. "It'll snow soon."

"Guys… dinner time!"

"Come on, let's go before Mika starts yelling at us." Yuki shut his book and threw it aside, pulling Shuichi along with him.

Dinner was a happy affair as everyone dug into the feast enthusiastically.

"Mika-san, thank you so much for such a wonderful meal. You're a great cook!"

"Ah… Don't mention it, Sakurai-san. I should be the one thanking you for gracing our party with your presence. And you even bought all of us presents."

Akiha waved his hand. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Hey… I was just wondering. How come Shuichi gets eleven presents from you?" Tatsuha asked curiously.

"Eleven? No, no… there's a total of twelve presents! The twelve days of Christmas… it's more romantic this way."

"Twelve?"

"Yeah." Akiha nodded. "But I gave him the twelfth present months ago, before returning America… And I'm sure both Yuki-san and Shuichi appreciated it a lot since it's-"

"Shut up!" Shuichi shrieked and stuffed Akiha's mouth with food to prevent him from speaking any further.

"?"

"But Sakurai-san, I'm surprised that you came back for Christmas. Shindou-san told us that you'll be extremely busy."

"Hmm? Well, nothing's more important then my dear Shuichi. Besides, I wanted to try spending Christmas with Shuichi once." Akiha winked at Shuichi, grinning from ear to ear.

"Huh?" Hiro frowned. "Didn't you guys spend Christmas together in America last year? Shuichi mentioned helping out with the decorations for the party…"

Shuichi tightened his grip on his fork. A wave of sadness flashed past his eyes. It disappeared quickly, but not before Yuki caught it.

"Speaking of that, isn't Christmas in America fun? The parties… there're always so many people there that I have to shoot some to get us in." K laughed. "Don't you agree, Shuichi?"

"…Yeah… I guess so…" Shuichi muttered softly and continued twirling his spaghetti round his fork.

"Huh?"

Luckily, Akiha came to his rescue. "He fell sick before the party and wasn't able to attend it. That's why I said that I wanted to try spending Christmas with him once. This is our first Christmas Eve together."

"Oh… Bad luck, Shuichi." Tatsuha mouthed, before bursting out into laughter. "I guess you're fated to be part of Bad Luck no matter what!"

Everyone laughed except Yuki, and Shuichi forced himself to smile.

After everyone was finished with dinner, Shuichi was helping Mika and Ayaka to clear the table when he bumped into Akiha under the mistletoe.

"Hey, wait up, wait up!" Akiha stopped Shuichi as the boy tried ignoring him. "You can't get away with it this time. I wasn't even standing here deliberately, waiting for you."

However, as Akiha bent down and was about to deliver the kiss, Shuichi held up his hand to intercept it. He smirked and tilted his head up. "I don't see any more berries there. So, no more kissing."

"You're so mean, honey." Akiha sighed in disappointment before kissing Shuichi on the forehead.

"Akiha! You cheated!"

"Hahahaha!" He ruffled Shuichi's hair and whispered. "Promise me that you'll stop thinking so much and concentrate on having fun. Here, I'll take the dishes. Now, go accompany Yuki-san before he kills me with that glare of his."

"Akiha… Thank you."

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

Soon after that, the hall was filled with soothing Christmas music. Akiha and Jun started dancing, and soon, the others followed their lead.

"Yuki, Yuki! Let's dance!"

"No."

"But, Yuki…!"

Yuki gazed into Shuichi's sparkling violet eyes. "I know a better place to dance. Come with me."

Minutes later…

"But Yuki… this is… a bedroom."

"Yeah, I know that."

They fell onto the bed and Yuki started kissing Shuichi deeply. However, all of a sudden, he stopped what he was doing, causing Shuichi to whimper in protest.

"Shuichi, did you really fall sick last Christmas?"

Shuichi stared back at Yuki, stunned. "Huh?"

"What did you do last Christmas?" Yuki pressed on, searching Shuichi's eyes for an answer. "Tell me the truth."

The boy shifted uncomfortably under his weight. "…Nothing…"

"Shuichi. I want to know." Yuki's voice left no room for protest.

"I… I… I booked a hotel room and stayed there all night."

"And?"

"…And it was snowing… It was cold, yet pretty."

"…"

"It reminded me of you."

Yuki stared at Shuichi, who was biting his lips to stop them from quivering.

"You stayed there all alone? Did you do anything else?"

"I started smoking…" Shuichi whispered. "…because I could taste you in them."

Yuki felt a sharp pain in his heart. He thought about what he was doing last Christmas. He had spent the night in bed with a woman he did not even remember, when Shuichi was all alone in a foreign country thinking of him. This added to the pain he felt.

"Shuichi… you're not alone now…" As if to prove his words, Yuki continued the kiss from before, before proceeding further on.

**xXx xXx xXx xXx xXx**

"Yuki! Yuki! Wake up!"

It was nearly dawn when Yuki next opened his eyes. "Shuichi?"

"Yuki, it's snowing! Come on, get up!" Shuichi tugged on Yuki's arm, and then ran out of the room."

"Hey, wait…" He got up and proceeded downstairs. As he descended to the foot of the stairs, he noticed bodies slumped everywhere. It appeared that everybody had partied too much and got so drunk that they couldn't even make it to their rooms. Tohma and Mika were missing though. The door was left opened.

"Shuichi?" He stepped out into the front yard. There Shuichi was, standing with his arms raised up towards the sky.

"Yuki! Look! It's snowing!" Shuichi laughed, twirling round and round in circles. "It's snowing! It's snowing!"

"Stupid brat…" But Yuki couldn't help but smile too. He walked towards Shuichi. "Stop spinning. You're making me dizzy."

Shuichi stopped moving but continued laughing in pure happiness. He could vaguely hear a Christmas song playing somewhere.

**Chestnuts roasting on an open fire  
Jack Frost nipping at your nose**

"Yuki, would you grant me a wish?"

Yuki frowned. "I hope you're not thinking of a snowman or a snowball fight…"

**Yuletide carols being sung by a choir  
And folks dressed up like Eskimos**

"Nope."

"Well, if it's not anything silly, I guess it's ok…"

"Dance with me?"

"…What? Are you mad?"

Shuichi ignored Yuki's protest. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Yuki's neck and started swaying.

**Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe  
Help to make the season bright**

"Shuichi."

"Hmm?" Shuichi looked up at Yuki innocently.

**Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow  
Will find it hard to sleep tonight**

"Fine, have it your way…" Yuki sighed and held Shuichi close by the waist, swaying slowly as well.

Shuichi smiled.

**They know that Santa's on his way  
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh  
And every mother's child is going to spy  
To see if reindeer really know how to fly**

**And so I'm offering this simple phrase  
From kids from one to ninety-two  
Although it's been said many times, many ways  
Merry Christmas to you**

"Aren't you cold?" Yuki asked, pulling Shuichi closer, as they continued dancing in the snow.

"No… As long as you're here with me, I won't feel cold."

"…Silly."

**Santa's on his way  
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh  
And every mother's child is going to spy  
To see if reindeer really know how to fly**

**And so I'm offering this simple phrase  
From kids from one to ninety-two  
Although it's been said many times, many ways,  
Merry Christmas to you**

**Merry Christmas**

"Merry Christmas, Yuki."

**Merry Christmas**

Peering down at the red-nosed Shuichi, Yuki bit back a smile.

"Although I could care less about Christmas…" He lost his last bit of self-control and managed a true smile when Shuichi pouted. "Merry Christmas, Shuichi."

**Merry Christmas  
****Merry Christmas to you**

**xXx xXx The End xXx xXx

* * *

**

There's really no time for me to look through this chapter…

I didn't want to go too OOC with Yuki though. I'm still not sure if he'll ever express his feelings loud and clear. Looking forward to it in the manga series 2. :)

Anyway, this is really the last chapter. I won't be adding anymore chapters. But I hope to be able to start on a new story soon. If I do, please try to read it! Hahaha!

Well then, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


End file.
